Vernonia staff to seek state parks grant for Bernoulli Lake Campground; council to consider resolution

Vernonia staff said they will apply for a state parks large grant to develop Bernoulli Lake Campground, with the large-application deadline on June 5.

According to the staff presentation, large grants allow requests up to $1,000,000 and towns under 5,000 population must provide a 20% local match. "So the application will be due June 5, for the large application," the mayor told the council, and staff recommended pursuing a Phase 1 request sized to match the project's utility-and-grading scope.

The project plan described in the packet shows a park host site, three yurts, six RV spaces, one accessible RV site, tent sites and parking. Using a 2027 escalation estimate, staff said Phase 1 (primitive campsites, grading and utility stubs) would cost about $762,941. "I'm nervous about going lower than that," the mayor said, arguing the town should not under-request and risk falling short if costs rise.

Councilors and staff discussed where the required 20% match would come from; parks contingency funds are small, and staff recommended identifying match funding in next year's budget or securing in-kind contributions. Staff said they had most application documents prepared and would obtain final material and labor estimates before submitting.

The council agreed by consensus to add a resolution authorizing application to the agenda of the next regular meeting so staff can finalize paperwork and budgeting for the local match. The chair adjourned the work session at 7:00 p.m.