Will upgrades draw visitors back to parks?
Recreation: Tourism officials fix up campsites
Will upgrades draw visitors back to state parks?

By Julie Bisbee

Published: June 23, 2008

Projects in the works include updates to cabin furnishings systemwide, adding new restrooms and making repairs that hadn't been addressed because they were too costly.

"This is really unprecedented in our agency in the past 25 years,” said Hardy Watkins, executive director of the Tourism Department.

"These are significant improvements that will allow us to begin making changes the public will see.

"Some they will see right away. Others will show that we've come a long way three to five years from now.”

Tourism projects have been unfunded in the past, and the department has made do with aging buildings and infrastructure. In 2006, the Legislature agreed to provide a steady stream of money.

In addition to providing a lump sum, the Legislature also agreed to allow nearly 1 percent of the general revenue tax to be set aside for tourism. These funds can only be used for improvements on properties in the state park system.

Last week, the tourism commission approved projects for next fiscal year, which begins July 1, totaling $10 million.

The list includes $1 million to pay for renovations at Roman Nose State Park.

"We've been keeping the system running, but we weren't able to deal with situations at our parks and lodges until they got to an emergency stage,” Watkins said. "We'd like to get off the treadmill of only dealing with emergencies.”

Many of the upgrades are to keep the parks competitive in the travel market, he said.

"We don't want Oklahomans to be embarrassed by their state park system, and we want visitors to be impressed,” Watkins said.

Tourism officials expect to see an increase in families who may opt to stay closer to home to offset high gas prices.

One of the most visible improvements will be at Lake Thunderbird, where $917,000 will be spent to renovate and redesign the layout of Turkey Pass Campground to include eight handicap-accessible sites. Upgrades to the 44-site campground also include updated electricity and wiring in the RV and tent areas.

The facelifts at parks around the state come as the base fee for a campsite has increased. On June 16, the basic rate for a campsite at state parks went from $8 to $10.

Camping rates haven't been increased since 2001. The increase will offset the increased cost of operations at the campgrounds, Watkins said.

In the past few years, the cost of fuel, trash removal and electricity has increased, Watkins said.

"These projects are important and help us be more competitive and more viable in the future,” Watkins said. "Visitors' needs and wants have changed since these facilities were first built.”

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