Chippewa Park gets upgrades, including 50 amp electrical service to RV campsites

The city hopes more campers will hook up with Chippewa Park after changes to its RV park.

The park’s 26 RV campsites now have 50 amp electrical service, water and new fire pits. The city’s south-side parks supervisor Gordon John said there’s also a new dump site for travellers. The upgrades started seven years ago and were complete this spring.

"We’ve spent a lot of time getting this up and running and now we’re in the full swing of things," John said.

Because newer RVs and fifth wheels require more power for everything from microwaves to air conditioning, the former 15 amp electrical service at Chippewa Park needed to be replaced.

That allows the park to stay competitive with other RV sites across the province, John said.

"It needed to be done just for the safety and nobody wants to come where they can’t have an air conditioner or watch TV," John said.

The new dump site is also a big draw, he added.

While it’s too early in the season to tell whether the upgrades will bring more people in, he hopes this weekend will be a busy one for the park.

"This is the time that will tell. School’s out and people are travelling."

City parks manager Paul Fayrick said the improvements, including enlargements of the sites, make the park a more full-service RV site.

"It’s much more of the experience that people would expect at a full-service park," Fayrick said.

The city spent up to $400,000 on the improvements. With Trowbridge Falls campground closed this summer, Fayrick said the city expects more traffic at Chippewa. But the park should now be able to handle it.

"We always have space. I’m not sure that there have been too many times when we’re 100 per cent full," he said.

Neil Haw and his family from Stratton were just leaving the park Thursday after a two-day stay. Haw said the electrical system is great because it provides options for every type of RV and camper.

"I can bring the TV with me and it can keep the kids sane sometimes" Haw said with a laugh.
While he and his family would have still stayed at the park without the upgrades, they are a nice perk he said.

"The fire pits are awesome. They’re great. I’ve never seen fire pits like this. They’re really nice.”