West Nipissing Municipal Council to Sell Cache Bay Trailer Park

West Nipissing’s (Ontario, Canada) municipal council has announced that it will sell the Cache Bay Trailer Park, citing rising maintenance costs as the primary motivator for the decision.

As per a report from the North Bay Nugget, although the park will be open for the 2023 season, the municipality will run the facility instead of leasing it to an operator as usual.

According to municipal staff, this year alone would cost CA$226,000 to implement all necessary upgrades.

One of the largest expenses is the pool on site, which has fallen into disrepair. On top of this, staff estimated another CA$90,000 in maintenance costs will be required over the next eight years, so by 2031; the municipality would be out CA$316,000.

The Cache Bay Trailer Park covers around 8.5 acres of land on the shore of Lake Nipissing and is part of a larger parcel of land spanning the north shoreline of Cache Bay.

The property has nearly 500 feet of water frontage and has been operated under separate Requests for Proposal since 2016. However, last year, the council decided not to renew the lease for 2023.

This is no news to private campground owners and operators in Canada as it underscores the challenges that can arise from managing and maintaining a campground over an extended period. The rising costs of upkeep and necessary upgrades can quickly become overwhelming, especially if the campground is not generating enough revenue to cover these expenses.

The sale of the Cache Bay Trailer Park will be carried out either with a preliminary environmental assessment and a land appraisal or “as is, where is.” The municipality will provide no undertaking or warranties as to any matter or thing pertaining to the property, staff outlined.

Despite the decision to sell, the park will still be open for the 2023 season, albeit with some changes. Only seasonal sites will be available, and no overnight or short-term camping will be allowed.