Yellowknife (Dec 15/06) - Folk on the Rocks will have to share its festival site with a government-built RV park as early as next year.

The department of Industry, Tourism and Investment plans to build 36 full-service hook-ups (water, sewage and electrical) at Long Lake next to the festival site, where festival patrons park their vehicles during the annual July weekend hootenanny.

Folk on the Rocks Society president Glen Abernethy said the group has formed a committee to examine the government proposal. The committee will determine the impact of an RV park on the festival and what the society's options are.

Abernethy said the park will happen with or without society approval, but the society is interested in exploring the idea for possible economic tie-ins and to protect the integrity of the festival site.

"Obviously there's concern for maintaining the pristine nature of the site," he added.

According to Abernethy, any implementation would be "phased," beginning with 36 pads as early as next year with alternate parking for the festival moved to the other side of Highway 3.

Philip Lee, North Slave regional superintendent for ITI, confirmed the RV park plans on Wednesday.

"It's definitely going to go forward and we're in the process of getting the design done," he said, adding that cost figures would not be available until ITI gets completed engineering drawings.

"There's certainly a demand for full-service sites," he said.

In the proposal, the park would not be operated by the territorial government but contracted out to a private operator. More sites could be added in the future, Lee said.

The Folk on the Rocks site is on land owned by the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs that is leased by the city. The site of the proposed RV park is on land currently under the Department of Transportation's jurisdiction.