Yellowknife (Jun 16/06) - The territorial government is looking to Long Lake as the future home for a proposed RV trailer park.

Philip Lee, North Slave regional superintendent for Industry, Tourism and Investment (ITI), said this week the planned location next door to the Folk on the Rocks music festival site won't meet all the market's needs, but it is a good start for the time being.

"The market analysis suggests that over the next 10 years we'll need a hundred sites," said Lee.

"Who knows, depending the economics of travel and whatnot, that could be higher or lower, but certainly we're maxed out right now in terms of RV capacity."

The 16-acre parcel of land may have enough room for up to 40 RVs, said Lee.

The department still needs to conduct a geotechnical survey of the site to make sure underground water wouldn't be a problem, but Lee said the eventual plan would entail installing water and powerline hook-ups for park visitors.

Unlike nearby Fred Henne Park, however, the RV park won't be run by the territorial government, said Lee. The park would go out to tender, and be run by a private operator.

The lease for the land is held by the Department of Transportation.

Lee said if all goes well, construction will begin next year, and the park could open by 2008.

The work involved to get the park ready would require roads built, gravel pads laid, underground water and power lines installed, and added trees for more privacy.

The Long Lake site wasn't the first place the government looked at the park. A plot just inside city limits on Highway 4 was under consideration last year.

The area became the subject of dispute after the city attempted to evict members of the Rocher family, who held a lease to the land for almost two decades, to make room for the park.

Jeannie Rocher said the department contacted her about two months ago about conducting a geotechnical survey, but hasn't heard back from them since.

Lee said they didn't want the land because the survey showed it was too close to the water line.

Denie Olmstead, executive director of the Northern Frontier Visitors Centre, said an RV park would be good news for the city's tourism sector.

"When you have a facility like that, you just encourage more of those groups to come up," said Olmstead.

"It's almost like you build it, they'll come sort of thing."

Ted and Andrea Benson, from Trego, Wisconsin, drove up to Yellowknife in their RV and while they didn't have any trouble finding a camping site at Fred Henne Park with electrical hook-up, they think a stand-alone RV park is a good idea.

"Any of the parks we've stayed at, we've hadn't had any troubles but it's early too," said Ted. He said he imagines many people will want to come pay Yellowknife a visit because people here are "really friendly and very helpful."