The Grand Marais Park board held its annual discussion about where to set campground rates for next summer at its November monthly meeting.
The rates have been raised slowly the last couple of years, said Grand Marais director of Parks and Recreation Dave Tersteeg, “and occupancy was still up over last year.”
One board member asked how Grand Marais’s campground rates compared to other municipal campgrounds in the region. Comparing prices is difficult, Tersteeg said, because the amenities, scenery, and locations are so different from one campground to the next.
Some people do complain about the rates, Tersteeg said, but with a list of 200 waiting to get a spot for their trailer, the demand is there to make small increases in fees. Making incremental price increases is better than making big jumps when finances get critical, said park board chair Sally Berg.
And, said Tersteeg, every dollar in revenue is a dollar residents don’t have to pay in property taxes.
With a unanimous vote, the board passed a motion to raise campground rates from two to nine percent, depending on where the RV sites were. The lakeside sites should increase the most, said Tersteeg, because they are the most coveted.
Meanwhile, the price difference between regular tent sites and bike tent sites was reduced 50 cents per overnight stay.
Dave Mills, the city’s liaison to the park board, said he supported the modest rate increase(s).
The seasonal marina rates and the boat and trailer storage rates were discussed, but no decisions were made. Tersteeg will bring more board requested information back to the board next month.
People who pay for the entire five-month season can store their trailers onsite at no extra charge, but Berg suggested raising the $68 a month charge for the other trailers from $68 to $70, which the board approved.
Campers who bring extra cars will see a daily rate change from $3 to $5, and reservation fees for online sign-up or taken in-person at the park’s office each will go up $1 next year. Tersteeg said the park handles about 6,000 reservations each year.
All final park and marina recommendations on rate increases or decreases must be approved by the Grand Marais City Council before they go into effect.
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