Popular cabins at Liberty Lake boost County Parks’ revenues

A long, hot summer and a pair of popular cabins on the banks of Liberty Lake were a boon to Spokane County’s Parks Department this year, as aquatics revenues hit historic highs.

The cozy, 144-square-foot cabins sit empty now, but online users already have booked their stays for many of the prime dates next summer. Parks staff have been pleasantly surprised by their popularity, and the respect users have shown for the new digs.

“Where’s the vandalism?” County Parks Director Doug Chase said last week, pointing to the pristine condition of the twin bunk beds pushed into the corner. “Usually you see something like, ‘Mark was here.’ ”

Despite the success of the cabins and impressive numbers at the turnstiles, rising labor and food costs likely will lead to the first entry-fee increase at local pools in four years.

County staff call the two wood cabins, which sit on former RV sites at the Liberty Lake Regional Park, a resounding success that bumped earnings at the 3,500-acre recreation area to almost three times that collected in 2008. Of the county’s three swimming options, Liberty Lake was the only attraction that made money in 2014.

“I think some of the feedback is that not everyone has an RV,” Chase said. “We’re trying to target that niche.”

In a presentation to county commissioners last week so detailed that the number of grilled chicken sandwiches sold at county pools was tallied (visitors were much more interested in ice cream and cheeseburgers), Chase and his staff summarized a season that saw 41 days with temperatures topping 85 degrees and increased attendance at Liberty Lake, as well as the Southside and Northside aquatic centers.

Park leaders say fees likely will increase to deal with the need for more seasonal help as a result of the increased park use and rising minimum wages. While revenues exceeded expectations by about $54,000, costs were $30,000 higher than projections. Overall, the aquatics programs still aren’t paying for themselves and the county subsidized them by $237,000 last year, despite increased attendance.

“We’re still running the numbers,” Chase said, though staff notified commissioners a rate hike was in the works. “We’re looking at a lot of different scenarios.”

It would be the first bump in entry fees at county pools since 2011, when prices were lowered to compete with Spokane’s municipal pools, which charged $1 for children and $2 for adults at the time. City fees have since doubled to $2 for kids older than 3 and $4 for adults 18 and up, the same price charged this summer at the county’s two pools.

Children were admitted free at Liberty Lake Regional Park this summer. Adults were charged $2.

Chris Hoppe, county parks programs manager, said the county decided to build the cabins after staff last year examined other park systems.

“The vast majority of other parks now have cabins to rent,” Hoppe said. “We’re just trying to stay ahead of that trend.”

Cabin occupancy benefited from online reservations, an option the county began in 2012 for all camping sites at Liberty Lake. As a result, revenue from camping has outpaced the money earned at the front gate for the past three years. Several marquee dates already have been booked for summer 2015 on the county’s website.

The cabins, which rent for $45 a night, have been so successful that staff are looking to build two more at nearby abandoned RV sites. Those cabins would be slightly larger than the ones currently available and retain all the amenities, including electrical outlets, running water at a nearby spigot and newly refurbished restrooms a short walk away.

The new cabins also will be in a better location.

“This is a killer view,” Hoppe said last week, pointing to the lake visible through a row of pines from the site of the future cabins, which could be built by Spokane Valley technical students.

Staff also asked commissioners to allow them to use the extra money made in 2014, about $24,000, for improvements at the Southside and Northside aquatics centers, which are still the most popular options for county residents seeking relief from the heat. First on the list is a furnace upgrade at the Northside pool, which opened in 2005. Parks officials also want to use the money to buy a new movie screen for the pool’s popular “Swim & a Movie” promotion after using a donated tarp from Cheney the past several years.

At the Southside pool, the money will be used to upgrade spray features that have been in use for several years.

“They get wrenched on pretty good from kids playing and having fun,” Hoppe said.

A final decision about 2015 entry fees for county pools will come packaged with the Parks Department’s budget request, which likely will be made in the coming weeks.