Public comments sought on update to Oregon state parks reservation rules
SALEM, Ore. (KTVZ) -- Oregon Parks and Recreation Department is accepting public comments on a proposed change to the Oregon Administrative Rule guiding reservations for Oregon state parks. The proposed changes would affect transaction fees and the reservation window.
The unprecedented process of closing all parks and canceling reservations in response to COVID-19 exposed a need for increased flexibility in reservation rules to enable the agency to respond nimbly to changing conditions. OPRD closed all parks March 23, 2020, and reopened in phases, with many campgrounds reopening June 9, 2020.
The proposed change to OAR 736-015-0015 includes implementing a flexible range of $0-$15 for transaction fees to make, change or cancel a reservation. Currently, customers are charged an $8 transaction fee for each reservation.
The proposal would also add flexibility to the reservation window, allowing the agency to vary the window from same-day reservations up to 18 months in advance. Not all sites would be open during the entire window, and neither the maximum nor the minimum ends of the range would necessarily be made available at any given time. Currently the window is set from one day to nine months in advance across the system.
The current reservation window is 30 days, a response to the uncertainties surrounding COVID-19. This is a temporary change from the typical nine-month reservation window that is detailed in the administrative rule.
OPRD will accept public comments on the proposed change through 5 p.m. Jan. 15, 2021. Comments can be made online, in writing or via email:
- Online: oregon.gov/oprd/PRP/Pages/PRP-rulemaking
- In writing: Oregon Parks and Recreation Department, attn. Katie Gauthier, 725 Summer St NE, Suite C, Salem OR 97301
- Email: OPRD.publiccomment@oregon.gov
- At a virtual hearing set for 6 p.m. Jan. 7, 2021. Registration required at zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_l9v4YG05Q1-GeS9n_0nS9Q. Individuals who require special accommodations to view the meetings should contact Katie Gauthier at least three days in advance of the meeting at 503-510-9678 or katie.gauthier@oregon.gov.
The full text of the proposed change is available online at oregon.gov/oprd/PRP/Pages/PRP-rulemaking. After reviewing public comments, OPRD staff plan to present a final recommended rule for consideration by the Oregon State Parks and Recreation Commission at its February 2021 business meeting.
