A price tag of more than $71,000 has been attached to the Myrtle Park camp ground reopening in December to campers.
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On Thursday, the City of Launceston council will consider an interim plan to reopen camping for summer and a budget increase of $60,206 in order to run the site COVID-19 safely.
The site closed in March due to the pandemic, but with restrictions easing it remains closed as the council works through a change of operator and its plan to reopen it next month.
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The interim proposal wants to open the 20-site camping from December until March, with day-use not permitted, and the kiosk and hall closed. At $20 a night, with a limit of 10 people each site.
It was estimated the operation cost per four month period when the site was closed was $11,000. Re-opening it will see a cost of $71,206 for the same period. Meaning the re-opening will require a budget amendment increase of $60,206.
The council's parks and sustainability manager Phil Bonney said further analysis through to 2021 was needed to implement a longer term management plan for the site.
"Changes to COVID-19 restrictions will impact the capacity, financial and operational feasibility of operating the park," he said.
"The park has previously been subjected to poor visitor behaviour. If reestablished, this behaviour may cause reputational damage to the council [and] corresponding unscheduled security call outs will incur additional cost."
The estimated main costs for the reopening are $66,865 for external labour and $21,840 for cleaning. The total cost was estimated to run it was $97,872 but $26,666 was offset from the expected revenue of campers.
It's proposed the park will be professionally cleaned daily due to COVID-19 and security contractors will make callouts each evening.
The park was operating under a commercial and residential lease agreement but this expired in July.
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