STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA RESTORES 50% CUT TO SENIOR DISCOUNTS FOR CAMPING AT KERR LAKE & UPS THE DISCOUNT FOR ALL STATE PARKS
Kerr Lake Park Watch has been notified by the NC Division of State Parks that the 50% cut for discounts to senior citizens who camp at Kerr Lake has been rescinded and the full discount of $6 per night for seniors 62 years of age and older has been restored. In addition, that discount now applies throughout the entire park system for the State of North Carolina.
For more than a week though, the Reserve America system that takes NC State Parks reservations would not give campers the $6 senior discount, only the $3. But as of sometime Thursday, the computer glitches in Reserve America’s system were fixed and the statewide $6 per night senior discount restored. The pictures below show that the system said $6 but only allowed $3 discount.
For a number of years, senior campers at any of the seven Kerr Lake NC State Recreation areas have enjoyed a $6 per night discount applied when they made their reservations. Around the first of May of this year, the Division of State Parks and Recreation which manages all state parks including the recreation areas at Kerr Lake put a “dynamic rate plan” into effect and at the same time, cut the senior citizen discount from $6 to $3 per night or by 50%. One of the Kerr Lake Park Watch members was in the process of booking a site and noticed the change; almost immediately, several other campers found out about the change.
A news release and several radio broadcasts brought an initial response from NC State Parks that there had been no cut in the senior discount for camping. Adrian O’Neal, Chief of Operations told Kerr Lake Park Watch that sometimes when implementing something new like dynamic pricing that related items are inadvertently affected. O’Neal stated, “After some additional research, it seems there has been some inconsistency in the administration of the Senior Discount (for camping) not only at Kerr Lake, but throughout the system. To remedy this, we will be restoring a statewide $6 Senior Discount (for camping). I assure you this was not an attempt to sneak in a price increase. With that said, we are implementing a model that does charge premium rates for premium times such as holidays and weekends in season, but additionally, provides for reduced rates during off peak times such as weekdays and winter months. This model is used widely throughout the travel industry. You will also see some minor increases in entrance fees later this year. Again, we hope dynamic pricing will allow us to make fee changes incrementally so visitors will not see drastic changes from year to year and can plan appropriately for upcoming visits.
“The members and the leadership of Kerr Lake Park Watch are pleased with the swift action by the Division of State Parks to restore the senior citizen discount to 100% of what it was at Kerr Lake. It’s even better that the discount has been further extended, uniformly, to all state parks in North Carolina,” said Kerr Lake Park Watch’s Lead for Public Affairs, Frank Timberlake adding, “As far as Reserve America, we’re used to their glitches and foul-ups.”
Timberlake added, “Regarding the dynamic pricing, we now have the beginnings of a rate schedule from O’Neal and that helps. We will study it and at the same time listen to our members and the public to gather any and all reactions.”
“People sometimes forget that yes, sometimes we are a whistle blowing operation, but that we also are a strong support group of our rangers, our maintenance professionals, other park personnel and the parks themselves. We appreciate the way that Mr. O’Neal stepped up to our issues and the way he and the other leaders dealt with them quickly and to our members’ satisfaction. I truly appreciate Mr. O’Neal’s interest in Kerr Lake Park Watch and his spending time to find out more about what we see as opportunities and issues, said Timberlake.”
Regarding rate increases, most Kerr Lake campers who talk to members and leaders of Kerr Lake Park Watch are not opposed to incremental rates increases as long as they see money being put back into the parks for things like improved campsites with more camping pad gravel, improved bath facilities and possibly lighted boat ramps operated by the park system.