Council restores tent camping access at Lake Reidsville, rejects membership fee plan

Reidsville city staff brought proposed changes to Lake Reidsville Campground policy to council, including an option that would have required tent campers who wanted lakefront sites to buy a $75 annual membership in addition to site fees. After discussion about enforcement, site maintenance and previous incidents of long-term occupancy, council voted to adopt the option that restores tent camping on campground sites without the membership fee and retains a reduced rate for primitive sites.

Assistant City Manager Abel Cloud Jr. described the options staff had developed after conversations with campers and inspection staff. “So we're just proposing $75 and they pay that yearly,” Cloud said while summarizing option 2, but he also said staff would bring any direction from council back for implementation detail. Several council members and other speakers argued the city should allow tent campers to occupy the same types of sites as RVs if they pay the standard site fee, and voiced concerns about maintaining campsite appearance and preventing year-round occupancy. Staff pointed to existing policy language that requires campers to “maintain a neat/clean campsite” and said staff will continue enforcement and, if necessary, remove violators.

A council member moved to adopt option 3 (allow tent camping on the campground sites without requiring a membership fee and charge the standard site fee for the site type). The motion was seconded and approved by voice vote. Staff said they will monitor the areas previously restricted (Lakefront and Lakeview sites) closely and will revisit policy if enforcement or quality issues recur.