GRCA unveils first of 11 new business plans for local conservation areas

by Chris Daponte

ROCKWOOD

Starting next year, the conservation area here could open year round for day use, and camping prices during peak times such as long weekends in the summer could increase by up to 7%.

Those are just two of the recommendations made in a 44-page business plan unveiled recently by the Grand River Conservation Authority (GRCA).

“The general theory is that what we want to do is increase the overall revenue coming to the park,” said GRCA spokesman Dave Schultz, adding all the changes are expected to take effect in 2013.

He said the Rockwood Conservation Area plan is the first of 11 proposed for GRCA parks in an attempt to “establish sustainable pricing.”

One of the ways to do that, Schultz explained, is to raise rates during peak periods and lower them during non-peak times.

“This is an idea that people are used to,” he said, noting hotels have been using the strategy for years. He said most of the rate increases are “pretty modest.”

The current rate for a premium serviced lot at the park is $47.50 and the business plan proposes increasing that to $50.50 for long weekends and to $49.50 for regular summer weekends. The price would remain the same for weekends in the spring and fall and would  decrease to $40.50 for weekdays during those non-peak times.

The adult day use rate will increase from $5.75 to $6 on weekends (unchanged on weekdays), while the cost to rent a boat will increase from $18 to $20 on weekends and drop to $15 during the week.

Seniors will be given a 10% discount on day use and camping costs during the week.

Some changes, like the proposal to open the park year round, will require more “exploration,” said Schultz. That may include moving to a swipe card system with an automatic gate, as well as work to “winterize” the washrooms, he added.

“It’s a mixture of changes designed to either draw more people into the park or raise revenue from those already coming in,” Schultz said of the business plan for the Rockwood Conservation Area.

The plan has been approved in principle by the GRCA board, he explained, but the board has yet to officially approve the “package of prices” that will come from all 11 business plans for GRCA parks.

He expects the rest of the plans, which together are the result of over a year of research and data gathering, to be rolled out over the next six months. The expected increase in revenue will be reinvested in the parks, he added.

“We’ve got a great parks system,” Schultz said. “It’s supported 100% by the people who use it and we want to ensure it remains a great parks system.”

July 27, 2012