Residents and tourists alike will have a destination for overnight camping on South Whidbey by as soon as 2017.
South Whidbey Parks and Recreation announced Monday that it purchased the 30-acre parcel adjacent to Community Park and South Whidbey High School for $390,000. The land was owned by the Dora Gabelein Trust and the deal went through Oct. 30.
A review appraisal by Kent Scudder of Norquest Asset Valuation priced the property at $400,000.
“I think it’s a tremendous piece of property to add, just the way it lays next to the park back against the school,” parks district Commissioner Mark Helpenstell said. “Everything about it fits beautifully. A campground is obviously a significant interest, but I suspect there’s room for other stuff too, including more trails and including other options and I really would encourage community members, come and tell us what you would like to see.”
The campground may become the premier locale for overnight stays on the South End as it may be the only forested area for such activity. Earlier this year, tree rot and disease prompted the state to ban overnight camping at South Whidbey State Park in Freeland for safety concerns and its fate remains uncertain.
“[Community] park already has a lot great features, this just allows people to stay overnight and enjoy it,” Commissioner Joel Gerlach said. “With our mission of the way we operate the facility and our staff does, we’re not going to park it out. We’re going to try to keep it as close to what it is right now, but get our campsites in there.”
The district is currently developing plans for the layout and usage of the property. Parks commissioners will seek an experienced design firm to assist in developing a campground on a portion of the property, according to a Monday press release. Once a design plan is specified, firms will submit proposals with their qualifications and what the design cost would be.
The design process will also include public input meetings that will allow the community to weigh in on how they feel the land can be used best.
The first public meeting will occur after a design firm is hired, Director Doug Coutts said.
Coutts said that district staff are still in the process of putting together bidding package for design firms and hope to have a strong draft by the next board meeting.
“I want the board to have a chance to put in their two cents,” Coutts said. “Hopefully we’ll get it right the first time and send it out immediately.”
A soft plan for the campground in July proposed the property contain 30 camping spots and would be a split between tent and powered camping. Coutts said other areas of the acreage could possibly be dedicated to walking trails.
Support for an additional campground on the South End was apparent at a recent Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission planning meeting, Parks Commissioner Matt Simms said.
Simms said that he and Helpenstell attended the Oct. 21 meeting in Freeland and saw that attendees were generally in favor of finding another location for a campground that isn’t located in an old growth forest.
“Hopefully we get more supportive feedback like that and we get people who are interested in being part of the process,” Simms said. “That’s the kind of thing we need to help move things along.”
The design plans will utilize input received from local citizens and stakeholder groups, said Coutts, and people are encouraged to submit their comments by emailing him at dirswprd@whidbey.com or calling him at 360-221-6488.
A previous version of this story incorrectly stated the date of the first public input meeting.
