Shenandoah deputy superintendent introduces herself, outlines visitation, concessions and fire coordination plans

Kristen Gibbs, deputy superintendent of Shenandoah National Park, introduced herself to the Page County Board of Supervisors and gave an update on park operations and partnerships.

Gibbs said park visitation through May is “pretty much the same” as recent years but noted the Thornton Gap entrance was down about 3,000 visitors in May compared with prior years. She told the board that the park’s new concessions contract—signed for a 15‑year term beginning in January 2027—will be operated locally under a sub‑company called Shenandoah Hospitality and that the concessionaire has expressed interest in office, warehouse and employee housing options in Page County. “They are looking within Page County,” Gibbs said. She added that the park does not directly control where the concessionaire locates outside park boundaries and that details on staff retention “I don’t know the details” but were described to her as an intent to offer current concession employees opportunities to stay.

Gibbs described planned automated entrance fee machines funded by the Shenandoah National Park Trust. The machines will supplement, not replace, staffed entrance stations (the Thornton Gap, Old Rag and White Oak stations remain staffed), permit fee collection after hours and allow remote gate control to help the park respond more quickly to rapidly changing mountain weather. “The benefit of these fee machines…is after‑hours visitors or really early morning visitors. We can continue to collect fees,” she said.

On firefighting coordination, Gibbs said the Department of the Interior consolidated wildland firefighting into the U.S. Wildland Fire Service but that, for now, operations at Shenandoah will remain “status quo” this season. She also announced a new permanent structural fire specialist, Andrew Addie, a Page County local believed to be with the Stanley Fire Department, who will work with local departments on field days and formal cooperative arrangements. “His role is going to be working with our local fire departments,” Gibbs said.

Board members asked follow‑up questions about visitation trends and the park’s relationship with VDOT and local emergency agencies. Gibbs offered to pull more multi‑year visitation data for the board and to follow up on specific questions about the concessionaire’s local real‑estate contacts.

Gibbs closed by inviting board members to contact park staff with further questions and said she hoped to return to report additional details in the coming months.