Campground Relocation Project Nears Completion; New Loop Officially Opens

Following two years of planning and construction, the project to relocate 16 campsites at Camp Petosega is nearing completion. The new campgound area, Loop E, officially opened to the public with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on July 30, 2020.

QUICK FACTS ABOUT THE CAMPSITE RELOCATION PROJECT

    • Discussions between former Emmet County Administrator John Calabrese, then Assistant County Administrator Mike Reaves and TC Energy’s Tracy Lawrence started in October 2018 concerning the relocation of 16 campsites to comply with modern safety regulations. Those discussions resulted in TransCanada agreeing to provide more than $1,522,874 for complete construction of a new campground loop and service building.
    • North45 Architecture’s Michael Karr was selected at the outset of the project as the architect and later served as the Project Manager for Phase II.
    • After the site plans were completed and all permits approved, Team Elmer’s kicked off the project’s construction on July 1, 2019.
    • The work area spanned 6.7 acres of land that included installation and paving of 0.57 miles of roadway.
    • The entire project required the hard work of over 50 different contractors from Phase I through Phase II of the project’s plans.
    • Despite challenges due to the pandemic and the difficult terrain of Camp Petosega, the project is expected to come in well under budget. As of July 30, 2020, the new loop has cost $1,355,570 and with the project currently in the punch list phase, a significant chunk of the $167,304 left in the contingency account will be available to repair some much-needed problems in other parts of the park here.
    • The new campground loop relocated and improved site numbers 48-63. The previous locations of the sites have been converted into a nature area that can be used by groups and day-use park visitors for picnics, walks, relaxing in a hammock, and a variety of other nature-based activities.
    • With the campsite relocation completed, Camp Petosega can now offer 90 campground rental sites, including many ADA-compliant sites, along with another bathhouse and a new children’s playground area with ADA-compliant features installed in this new loop.
    • The completed project included adding electrical and water access, leveling sites, adding gravel, and building longer camping pads so campers can set up wherever best suits their needs when they arrive. The new landscaping, along with spacing between the other relocated sites, helps build privacy in to each site, allowing campers to be more secluded than in the previous campsite locations.
    • A few things still need finished as of July 30. In addition to some punch list items, a boardwalk that traverses the campground loop should be completed in the next couple of months.

– – – CHECK OUT THE NEW CAMPGROUND MAP HERE – – –