4 years after Prineville Reservoir Resort closed, Oregon Parks Dept. is seeking public input about its future

(Update: Adding video, comments from Oregon Park and Recreation official)

PRINEVILLE, Ore. (KTVZ) -- After the Prineville Reservoir Resort closed down back in 2019, the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department took over management of the property from the party that ran it before.

The former resort sits on the northern shore of Prineville Reservoir, on US Bureau of Reclamation land. It had more than 80 campground sites, RV and tent sites, a six-room motel, a full restaurant, boat launch, fueling facility and moorage.

Now, OPRD, along with Portland State University, is seeking the help of the public, asking Crook County residents what they'd like to see the resort space become in the future.

"We are looking to basically rebuild that area here to what the people want and what the area can provide," Todd Honeywell, Operations Manager for the Mountain Region of OPRD, told us Wednesday.

Since its closure, Oregon Parks has managed the property. Now, the state agency and Portland State University, are surveying the public in a 10-15 minute questionnaire to help reimagine the resort.

"We're asking people, 'What would you do out here if the water level is low, which we've seen for several years?'" Honeywell explained.

The reservoir was created on the Crooked River in 1961, for agricultural use. The maximum depth is 130 feet, and it can store just over 150,000 acre-feet of water.

It's also a popular spot for fishing and recreation.

"So I think the original idea was just, 'Okay, let's get it back up and going, fix everything' -- and then Covid happened" Honeywell said.

"So we lost a bunch of money during that, with no user fees coming in and employees and everything," he added. "Plus, a drought happened in quite a few of those years."

To bring the resort up to code would not be cheap: Honeywell estimates the cost would be about $50 million.

A public meeting about the resort's future was held Tuesday.

"That was one of the nice things that came out of the meeting yesterday was, people said, 'Well, why not fix it up a little bit at a time, fix up the day use area, and see if people come in and use that area, then start building it from there?'" Honeywell said.

While the recreation area at the reservoir is open year-round, OPRD wants public input before announcing the resorts' next steps.

"I'd like to see people out walking around here now (in autumn)," Honeywell said. "Before you got here, I was out walking around and saw a bald eagle going down and diving for fish. And so it's a great place to come out and wander around the whole park."

If you'd like to voice your opinion with what happens next to the Prineville Reservoir Resort, you can fill out the community survey, which is available online until Thanksgiving.

The survey takes 10-15 minutes and can be found at www.prinevillerecsurvey.com/?src=r33h7.