Mount St. Helens tourist sites might lose food service
Tuesday, July 25, 2006 11:25 PM PDT
By Barbara LaBoe
Printable version
E-mail this articleA disappointing vendor turnout could leave Mount St. Helens tourist sites without any food service starting this fall, officials said.
The Gifford Pinchot National Forest asked for commercial bids on services such as food and souvenir sales and lodging within the Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument in October. Monday, officials said none of the applications met their requirements.
Only three companies applied for the vendor contracts and none had the new or innovative proposal officials were hoping for, said Tom Mulder, monument manager. Officials are going to retool their request and be more specific about what they want from future applications, he said.
"We tried to be very open and said 'Tell us your ideas,' and now I think we'll try an approach that's more focused," Mulder said. "Sort of 'Here's what's tried and true and what we'd like to see happen and here's what it takes.' "
There's no date set for when those new guidelines will be ready, though, and the current food contract at the Coldwater Ridge Visitor Center runs out at the end of September. Officials can not legally extend the contract with the private Mount St. Helens Concessions, because all contracts must be competitively bid, Mulder said.
"So the sooner the better," he said of the retooling process.
Suggestions for possible projects includes expanded food and souvenir items through the monument, boat rentals at Coldwater Lake and a campground or RV site near Pine Creek and the Ape Cave.
The goal with all plans will be to allow private companies to enhance offerings within the monument without negatively impacting visitors' experiences, Mulder said. Environmental impact study requirements for any new ventures would have to be covered in any company's application, Mulder said.
Many national parks and some national forests already have good private concessionaire partnerships, Mulder said, so local officials remain optimistic they'll find a good fit.
"A lot of places in the country have very tasteful and complementary programs," in national parks or forests, Mulder said. "So it's just find the right niche and business plan."
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