Municipal staff in Chatham-Kent are recommending the municipality keep Clearville Park rather than sell it off, but say seasonal campers will need to pay significantly more to keep the aging campground running.
A report going to council from Robert Pollock, director of Parks, Recreation and Facilities, recommends the park be retained and transitioned to a full cost recovery business model, along with a series of user fee increases phased in over five years starting in 2027.
The 88.54-acre park near Clearville was purchased by the former Township of Orford in 1980 and opened to the public in 1984, with ownership passing to Chatham-Kent through amalgamation in 1998. It includes 125 seasonal sites and 32 transient sites, a wooded area, a boat launch and washroom buildings. All seasonal lots are currently full, with 65 people on a waiting list.
Council had approved divesting the campground and adjacent parkland during 2025 budget deliberations, but in February 2025 voted to defer any divestment until a full consultation was held with users and surrounding residents, and directed staff to study cost-recovery and divestment options.
An in-person information session was held in Clearville on Sept. 17, 2025, drawing about 90 people, with further feedback collected online. According to the report, feedback included general acknowledgment of the need for fee increases, concerns about the accuracy of capital cost estimates, and worry among residents about the affordability of a large one-time fee hike, with some requesting phased increases or repayment timelines longer than 10 years.
An infrastructure review by Chorley + Bisset Consulting Engineers found the park needs an estimated $4.5 million in capital investment over the next decade, while its lifecycle reserve is projected to hold just $950,000 over the same period. Closing that gap without tax support would require a 115 per cent increase in park revenue, or about $530,000 more per season, the report says.
The report notes the park has already experienced two boil water advisories between 2025 and 2026 due to deteriorating water infrastructure, with roughly $75,000 spent investigating, repairing and replacing water and sanitary systems during that time.
Staff also examined the possibility of transferring the park to the Lower Thames Valley Conservation Authority, but said the authority raised concerns about the capital investment required and had not developed a supporting business case. The report adds that recent changes to Ontario’s conservation authority framework have centralized decision-making and increased provincial oversight, which could limit the municipality’s ability to collaborate on park operations.
A recent appraisal valued the property at $2,450,000, and the report says divestment would avoid roughly $4.5 million in capital costs over 10 years. Staff nonetheless recommend against selling the park, and separately advise against keeping it open under its current or a reduced fee structure, saying that approach would not be financially sustainable.
Under the recommended plan, base budget increases from higher user fees would rise from $41,200.59 in 2027 to $75,842.47 by 2031, bringing total projected revenue from the park to just over $536,000 that year. The report says fees would be reassessed every two to three years going forward, and any residents affected by the increases would be notified directly by email.
The report will b before Council on Monday, July 27, 2026.
