On Apr. 1, the Fernie RV Resort will be open to the public. The first phase of sites will include 115 spots and employ 10 full time staff, and as the resort expands additional staff will be needed. The resorts final number of sites is planned to be 250.
“By the date of opening on April 1, 2016, we will have the washroom and laundry facilities completed and the temporary Administration area open,” said Reto Barrington, developer and manager of the Fernie RV Resort. “Once the site is free of snow, we will construct the hot tub, splash park and playground area with completion estimated by June 30. In addition, we will construct a second washroom building adjacent to the tent camping area with toilet facilities for seasonal use. This is also estimated to be complete by June 30.”
There will be 71 deluxe back-in sites, these sites measure 43 feet wide, 60 feet long and have truck parking pads. These full service year-round sites also have a picnic table and fire ring.
Large class “A” motor coaches will have access to 26 premium pull-through sites. They are similar to the deluxe sites but have ten feet longer lots.
The resort will also cater to campers without RVs, with 17 tent camping sites that include parking pads. These sites will be 43 feet wide and 50 feet long with water, WiFi and 15 amp power services as well as a picnic table and fire ring.
Lastly, there will be ground camping to accommodate up to 30 people. This area is 8,000 square feet and will feature three fire rings, three picnic tables, and seasonal services like water and power.
The resort hopes to bring in close to 20,000 campers and generate over $1,875,000 to the town of Fernie, according to Barrington.
“Presently there is limited availability of RV parking in or around Fernie. As a result, many of the potential traveling visitors in RV’s drive through Fernie and do not stop to participate in the local economy We estimate that Phase One alone will generate 15,000 to 20,000 camper days with an average number of campers per camper days of 2.5 people,” said Barrington. “This will produce a total of between 37,500 to 50,000 visitor days. We estimate that each visitor will spend approximately $50 per visitor day, in addition to Resort charges, thereby producing a revenue of between $1,875,000 and $2,500,000 in economic stimulation to the town of Fernie.”
The Fernie RV Resort is planning to be a part of community events and is planning a free camp day for the summer.
“We intend on hosting a community function in May, date yet to be determined, where we will invite the residents of Fernie to come and camp with us free of charge to introduce the community to our Resort,” said Barrington.