A resolution allowing overnight group camping at county parks, particularly at Pioneer Trails Picnic Grounds, was unanimously approved by the Sweetwater County Board of County Commissioners during Tuesday's meeting.
The resolution came together after several months of discussions between commissioners and representatives from the Boys Scouts of America, particularly from local Troop 312, who requested use of Pioneer Trails Picnic Grounds for overnight scouting activities.
The resolution makes provision for group camping and connected management of the parks, which was explained by Deputy County Attorney John Deleon during this week's commission meeting. The resolution identifies 11 parks owned by the county and notes that Pioneer Trails Picnic Grounds is especially suitable for group camping due to its pavilions and its location by the river. The resolution also puts forth specific restrictions and requirements for group camping that were agreed on by a group including Commissioners Robb Slaughter and Island Richards as well as Public Works Director Gene Legerski, who all worked with the scouts in several meetings to come up with solutions.
Under the resolution, group camping is defined as 10 or more people, with a limit of a maximum of 100 people. A damage deposit of $500 will be required but will be returned as long as there is no damage to the park. There will also be a $300 fee per stay, with a maximum limit of three nights. Fire restrictions will follow the Bureau of Land Management fire restrictions currently in place, and participants who are camping will not be allowed to gather firewood at the park. Instead, participants will have to bring their own firewood and only use the designated fire ring.
The request from the Boy Scouts to use Pioneer Trails Picnic Grounds for overnight camping was first brought up last year but was denied by the commissioners. Bud Allen from the Boy Scouts brought the request to the commissioners again at the Feb. 7 meeting at the beginning of this year. Several commissioners repeated concerns about other groups coming in to camp and not taking care of the facilities, putting extra work and potential expenses on county employees and causing difficulties with enforcement of rules. Slaughter and Richards brought up their desire to work with the Scouts to see if there could be a solution.
At the March 21 meeting, the resolution was presented to the commissioners and approved to go through the process of advertising a notice of intent and opening it to the public for comment. The resolution was also opened to a public hearing during Tuesday's meeting. April Eccker submitted a letter through email expressing concerns about issues including cattle in the area and the fact that the park won't be closed to the public, as well as asking about the possibility of changing the damage deposit and use fee and making the fee dependent on group size. Commissioner Richards noted that Eccker had participated in discussions that led to the resolution and not expressed these concerns sooner.
Richards explained the $300 fee was agreed on as a starting point because it covers costs for county staff, and the $500 damage deposit is typical of other county facility use requirements. He also pointed out that providing bathroom services at the park will save the Boy Scouts money since they previously had to provide those services on their own in other locations. And he noted the resolution had to be the same across the board for all groups since the county is required to meet civil requirements and not discriminate, but it was also limited since the county didn't want to open the park to the possibility of long-term camping.
"I think everything we're asking here is fair," Richards said, adding the Boy Scouts support the resolution.
Richards also pointed out that the resolution is a one-year plan to see how it works out, and he anticipates that at the end of the summer the county will be able to review how it went and determine whether it will continue to be an option in the future.
Slaughter agreed that the resolution at least gives a chance to try things out.
"When this was originally brought before us, there was a feeling that 'no' was going to be the answer, and I felt that we had an obligation to try and find some way to say 'yes' to something of this nature," Slaughter said.
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