The City of Red Deer will set up a reservation system at Lions Campground to meet increased demands for the service.
A reservation fee and a reservation system will hopefully be set up this year if technology staff are able to install the digital cable, new workstation and appropriate software.
The cost of doing the project is estimated at $8,600, within the 2011 municipal operating budget.
“We’ve had tons and tons of requests to reserve some sites,” said Deb Comfort, neighbourhood facilities and community development supervisor.
If the system can’t be set up this year, it will happen next year.
The key will be balancing the needs of those who wish to reserve and those who just drop in to the city-owned campground, located along Riverside Drive and east of Gaetz Avenue.
The campground has 89 full-service sites (septic, water, power) and 38 semi-service or power-only sites.
Comfort said the plan is to have reservation bookings for no more than 30 per cent of full-service sites and the same percentage for semi-service sites.
The reservation system is meant to improve customer service and generate additional revenue, estimated at $10,000 annually.
The reservation fee would be a surcharge of $15 per registration.
This fee is on average similar or slightly higher than other campground fees in the province.
The campground operations are contracted to an operator on a fee-for-service agreement. Campers can stay up to two weeks with the average length of stay being four days.
ltester@www.reddeeradvocate.com