New Cabins, WiFi in Camp Dearborn’s 64th Season
Eight new cabins at Camp Dearborn will be open June 17.
Camp Dearborn is gearing up for its full activity season, and is anticipating heavy use of eight new resort cabins and WiFi at the Canteen this summer.
The cabins, designed to offer a more modern option of vacationing in the campground, will be ready for occupancy Sunday, June 17.
Just one day after announcing that the cabins would be available for rental at $660 per week, nearly half were sold out for the summer site unseen. The additional cabins are a good addition to Camp Dearborn and will certainly pay for themselves.
Greg Orner, Dearborn’s recreation chief, deserves a lot of credit for pushing this plan to install more cabins, and WiFi at the canteen. Despite what some may feel about the Camp, it continues to operate in the black and is finding new ways to further generate income to sustain and even feed back revenue to fund other recreation department needs.
One of eight new cabins at Camp Dearborn.
The cabins, custom-designed and constructed by Legendary Timberworks of Novi, are positioned in a single row overlooking one of the Camp’s lakes. Each cabin has a complete bathroom with shower and an additional stainless steel sink for dishwashing, as well as a garbage disposal.
The cabins include built-in beds to accommodate six people; two standard twin bunks and one standard full-size bed, each with a foam mattress.
The sleeping comfort of the new cabins is enhanced by five double-hung Anderson window/screen combinations and a ceiling fan.
The camper-kitchen unit stands outside the cabin, similar to the existing tents and cabins in TV1. Like other camping units, the cabins are constructed on a cement base and equipped with a picnic table, grill and firepit.
To reserve a cabin, call the Milford Camp Office at 248-684-6000. In-season fees for the cabins will be $660 for weekly rentals ($94 per night). Daily rentals will also be available at $110 per night with a minimum stay requirement.
Though the resort cabins will stand out as the most significant change to Camp Dearborn this year, other improvements have occurred. This season campers and day visitors will enjoy the convenience of WiFi at the Canteen. Patrons will be able to “connect” as they relax with their favorite menu selections at the Canteen.
The removal of the sea wall at Lake 5 in Tent Village is another noticeable improvement. Lake 5 serves campers as a swimming lake with beach. The removal of the sea wall has restored the remainder of the lake to a natural shoreline, adding beauty to the area and leaving the beach and swimming area intact.
Fishermen will continue to be welcome on the shoreline in a more natural environment.
Camp Dearborn continues to be a favorite camping destination for many families in southeast Michigan. Campsites are available May 1 through October 31, with the full activity season operating from mid-June through Labor Day each year. Camp Dearborn offers 191 temporary RV sites, 118 tents, 30 rustic cabins and now the eight resort cabins.
Temporary sites are either full hook-up or electric only and can be reserved by calling either of the Camp offices: Dearborn Recreation Department at 313-943-2350 or Milford Camp Office at 248-684-6000.
In addition to the popular camping area, Camp Dearborn offers acres of picnic area equipped with tables and grills alongside a beautiful half-mile beach and swimming lake. The Camp is open to the public daily 7 a.m. until 10 p.m.
Admission at the gate is $4 per car for residents of Dearborn or Milford, $6 per car for all others and $10 per car for all on special event dates.
Season passes are available for frequent visitors at the rate of $25 for residents of Dearborn or Milford and $35 for the general public.
More information about Camp Dearborn and scheduled events can be found at www.campdearborn.com, the Camp Dearborn Official Page on Facebook, or by calling either of the Camp offices.
June 6th, 2012 at 8:17 am
well let’s see, they brag nearly half the cabins have been rented.
W O W . half of eight is four, nearly half should be 3. real good percentage for these inept city leaders who keep crying they have no money. bluto can put his overalls back on and walk out to camp like he did in his hippie days with his muppet puppet heads following along.
June 6th, 2012 at 10:00 am
Joe: It is quite an accomplishment considering that it was only Tuesday that the registration for these cabins began. That is less than 24 hours! So, yes, that is terrific progress. All eight cabins will be booked for the summer very quickly.
June 6th, 2012 at 10:30 am
At what point did the city think it is a good idea to invest 300,000 dollars in cabins that are probably being rented by people who are simply upgrading from I row in tent village. The entire purpose of these cabins was to increase new usage but the result will be cannibalization of it’s own users. Even if every single cabin was rented out by a new user, it would increase camp usage less than 1% yearly. How can you close branch libraries and community pools and justify this? You can’t. This is a boneheaded move. There are many other improvements 300,000 could buy that would increase the usage numbers better than an investment that is limited to less than 400 people per year. This investment can never pay for itself, this is a simple fact. At what point do we say Greg Orner is a failure, and seek a Rec director with a successful track record beyond administering a second rate out of state golf course.
June 7th, 2012 at 5:32 pm
said are you one of clarabelle’s fans ? this accomplishment means little to taxpayers who give in to his bullying by holding the libraries & pools, cutting services & employees over all our heads. I don’t really worry about camp as much as the city I grew up in. Where is his priorities when mccheese, his appointed inept financial wizard, and his used to be detroit pd puppet chief ,want only 140 some police officers for the city, and use part-time cops to make up the difference, and take the pension plan away, again. Man of his word. Beginning of the end my friend. Then it’s time to stay out there in a cabin, until this buffoon is unelected and we can get some capable department heads appointed.
June 9th, 2012 at 12:05 pm
Joe, with all due respect, the Dearborn City Charter allows the DPD to have 205 police officers. The last I knew, the city was staffed at 190, and in order to help the city out during it’s financial crisis, the DPD union agreed to keep the staffing at 190. As a comparable ratio, Dearborn has 1 police officer per every 487 residents, Dearborn Heights has 1 per every 750 residents and Taylor has 1 per every 1088 residents.
However, like you, I wish the city had invested this money into the pools, libraries and city services, instead of the cabins.
June 10th, 2012 at 6:12 am
Michael, you seem to think you have all the stats down, however, you are wrong regarding our local police department. The voters voted for one thing (keeping our police department at a certain number they were comfortable with,and then they find out thhere vote didn’t mean a thing). Bluto comes along, and says screw the voters, and never (even in better economic times), did he make an effort to go along with what the voters had approved. If we would use our officers on the street where they belong, maybe the ratio to residents you refer to would be correct, however, the Big Boy needs a body guard, and he uses an officer,along with his special details that he and HADDAD have using up our officers. The department has so much brass in Haddads staff, that they are tripping over one another, and these are officers who also could put time in the street Michael. Cabins however, appear to be more important than watching out for the residents, and kids in town.
June 12th, 2012 at 10:02 pm
Mr. Deep, are these cabins along I-row? They look good. How much is a current cabin or tent for a week?
June 14th, 2012 at 6:44 am
For decades my family has rented the row of tents above those cabins. My parents originally waited in line up to 24 hours to reserve that row. Now we look at the back side of the cabins instead of a view of the paddle boat lake. Loyal residents that have renting tents for thirty years have seen Camp Dearborn witnessed fall apart. The old fashion monkey bars by the pool should have been sand blasted and painted. Same with the rocket. Instead the city just throws them away. Only memories are left. Nice way to spend money instead of painting and general upkeep. Hey maybe we should build a 5 story parking deck out there and charge people to park.
June 23rd, 2012 at 10:20 pm
Just to point on the total amount spent on the cabins is $437,704.
In the document “Capital Improvement Plan City of Dearborn Fiscal Year 2013” it lists the following:
I21009 RUSTIC RESORT CABINS
Purchase and installation of eight (8) rustic resort cabins in Tent Village 1 (TV1). Each cabin will measure at a minimum of 12’ x 24’ (along with an 8’ porch) with windows and doors, and offer a finished interior, complete with built-in bunks, toilet and shower facilities, and limited utilities (electric & water). An outdoor cabana with refrigerator/stovetop unit, a charcoal grill and picnic table will also be provided at each of these new sites. The Charter Township of Milford Board of Trustees unanimously approved the site plan for the proposed resort cabins on February 15, 2012 (PS-11-5007). Construction is slated to begin in late spring, 2012.
Funding source – General Fund.
Contact person – Eric Peterson.
So I guess if you divide the cost by eight cabins that is $54,713 per cabin.
August 10th, 2012 at 2:53 am
What a silly, stupid reason to resent the new cabins. Pst, you can’t request rows any more. You get what they give you now.