Gov. Janet Mills is allowing campgrounds to reopen this weekend , but some operators say they are not quite ready.
“I didn’t feel like jumping right to it was the appropriate thing to do either on a health level and on an operational level.”
Neil Lyman was tiling a bathroom when he learned of Mills’ decision to reopen campgrounds for the holiday weekend. He says logistics will keep him from reopening Winslow Park, which he manages in Freeport.
“Part of my issue was the bathrooms weren’t quite ready to go because I ripped stuff apart so that we could fix them,” Lyman says.
Patricia Newhall of Christies Campground and Cottages in Newport says her site is already welcoming guests. She sees camping as a natural fit for socially distanced times.
“They’re out in the sun, they’re out in the fresh air, I find that anybody that comes in here is respecting those social distancing protocols,” says Newhall.
And many campgrounds see reopening as a financial necessity.
“People like us have 5 months to make a full year’s pay,” Newhall says.
Many campgrounds, like Lyman’s, plan to open June 1.
