Fees for reserving pavilions at Westmoreland County parks are slated for a hefty increase on Jan. 1, to help support costs of operating the recreational sites.

The rental fees will go up anywhere from $25 to $100, according to Dante DeCario, assistant director of county public works. He said the fee hike will vary based on each pavilion’s capacity and amenities.

“It’s just aligning our fees with the current rates that are out there,” said DeCario. “It’s been a long time since the county updated the fee schedule.”

Current seasonal rates for county residents to rent a basic pavilion on higher-demand days — Fridays through Mondays — range from $24, for a seating capacity of 45, to $120, for a capacity of 200. Fees for pavilions with kitchens are $210 with seating for 200, $375 with seating for 400. Rates are doubled for non-county residents.

Lesser rates apply Tuesdays through Thursdays — ranging from $25 to $185 for county residents, from $45 to $375 for others.

Off-season, between Oct. 15 and May 1, any pavilion can be reserved for $25 by county residents or $50 by others. Separate rates apply for renting activity centers at Cedar Creek, Northmoreland and Twin Lakes parks; an adjacent pavilion is included with rental of the Twin Lakes center.

Reservations can be made online at westmorelandcountypa.gov/3275/Parks up to a year in advance. Reservations made through the year’s end will be locked in at the current rate.

If a pavilion hasn’t been reserved on a particular date, it can be used free of charge on a first-come, first-served basis.

It’s been more than a decade since the rental fees were adjusted, according to Greg McCloskey, director of county operations.

“Our everyday expenses for items we need to maintain, manage and operate are increasing, like everyone else’s,” DeCario said.

McCloskey noted personnel costs also are on the rise, under the terms of the county’s labor agreement with union workers. Public works crews are among more than 500 county workers who are getting raises totaling more than 17% through the course of a three-year contract approved earlier this year.

Typically, park reservation fees annually generate about $260,000 in revenue, according to DeCario. He estimates the increased rates could bring in an additional $125,000 in 2025.

“It’s all going to be driven by how many reservations we have,” he said.

“We’ve improved so many pavilion facilities that more people do want to rent them,” said McCloskey. “They were updated from the ’60s and ’70s when they were all originally built.”

Trail work set

The parks department’s proposed $2.2 million 2025 capital budget includes work on two trail projects: closing a gap in the Westmoreland Heritage Trail under Route 66, supported by a $1 million grant; relocating the Five Star Trail farther away from an adjacent Norfolk Southern Railway track, with nearly $854,000 in funding from a state recreational grant and other sources.

Additional proposed capital expenditures would cover mowers, paddle boats, playground equipment, repaving roads and parking areas and replacing a valve that controls the lake level at Mammoth Park.