Beaver Creek Park plans on using extra revenue to replace facilities

Beaver Creek Park made an additional $9,000 last year thanks to a $1 a head increase in cattle grazing prices. Park Superintendent Chad Edgar said Wednesday, in a phone interview, that the park plans to invest that money in new bathroom facilities.

The park cattle grazing price went from $11 a head per month to $12 in 2015. The park went from making $81,000 to $90,000 on grazing cattle. The plan is to replace two wooden outhouses with concrete ones by the middle of this year, Edgar said. The ultimate plan is to replace the remaining wooden outhouses with concrete ones as well.

Although the concrete outhouses are more expensive than the wooden ones, they are easier to clean and cheaper to maintain. The new outhouses won't have to be rebuilt, just occasionally painted. Another plus is the new outhouses will be handicap accessible, Edgar added.

The other two major revenue generators for the park are permits and cabin leases. They both normally bring in roughly the same amount of money. Last year, there was a different of about $4,000, with permits bringing in $54,000.

An individual yearly park permit pass costs $50 for residents of Hill, Blaine, Choteau and Liberty counties, Edgar said, and $75 for people from outside that region. Visitors and infrequent park-goers can buy a one-day pass for $10. People in the four adjacent counties 65 or older can get a $20 discount, also known as a golden pass, on yearly passes. Groups can reserve sites for $100 a day, as long as they stay in the designated areas.

At 10,200 acres, Beaver Creek Park officials boast the park is the largest county park in the U.S.

People can camp, hike and fish all year round. Common winter activities at the park can include snowmobiling, cross-country and snowshoeing.

For information or questions, people can visit Beaver Creek Park's relatively new website http://bcpark.org/ or call 395-4565.