We don’t think camping should be allowed in FMC Park.
While camping would show off the area’s natural beauty and give great access to bicycling and hiking trails, we don’t think camping spots would benefit the city and would ultimately be wasted resources for a city already struggling in the face of continually reduced revenues.
One exception we would like to make involves the city’s Boy Scouts, Cub Scouts, Girl Scouts and other youth-oriented groups. Those groups should be allowed to use the park in a educational manner and camping, permitted by the city, should be allowed in those situations.
At face value, allowing basic camping for people interested in biking or hiking sounds like a good idea. People who want to stay a day or two at the park would have easy access to the Wilkens Peak trail system, with the ability to utilize the trail system from their campsites. However, while there are some good aspects to opening FMC Park up to camping, there are more downsides to consider.
One major concern Councilman Mark Peterson pointed out is the camp sites would impact local hotels. Recreation is one of the main reasons people stop in Green River and opening camp sites would impact local hotels, some of which rely on Green River’s recreational opportunities to attract business. It wouldn’t stop just at recreational enthusiasts however, as savvy travelers could use the campsites as a way to save some money during a trip, possibly electing to sleep in their vehicles at a city camp site.
With campsites, most people respect the land enough to take their trash with them once they leave, but this obviously doesn’t reflect 100 percent of all campers. The question of who cleans up after a camper arises when a site is trashed with empty packages, discarded food and plastic bags left behind. Does the city’s parks department handle this problem? Would the police department, utilizing its work restitution program, deal with the problem?
For recreation fans, we don’t think it’s too difficult for them to stay at a hotel and take their bikes and equipment to the trails for their ride. While FMC Park’s uses should remain as they are, with camping prohibited, exceptions should be made for youth groups looking to host an overnight camp, as has previously been allowed.
Opening the park up for camping would only serve to create more work for the city, and eat into profits made by local hotels.
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