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Be the first to stay in a yurt

Kennedy yurts open for reservations

-Messenger photo by Kelby Wingert
Matt Cosgrove, Webster County Conservation director, shows off the inside of the “Mulligan’s” yurt at Kennedy Park Campground. Two new yurts, a sort of cross between a cabin and a tent, were added to the campground this spring. The yurts opened for rental reservations this week.

There’s a new, unique camping experience available for guests at John F. Kennedy Memorial Park starting this weekend.

The Webster County Conservation Board unveiled two new yurts, which are a sort of cross between a tent and a cabin first used by several nomadic groups in central Asia, this week.

“We were looking at different cabin options and we’ve been doing work with Boone County and Hamilton County and they both have cabins,” Matt Cosgrove, Webster County Conservation director explained. “We thought this would be an interesting mix, not to compete with them, but to offer something different in the region.”

Cosgrove said he and his family had stayed in a yurt while on vacation in Wyoming and thought it would be something unique to add to Kennedy Park.

The yurts are circular buildings with a 24-foot diameter. Inside, each yurt has a set of queen-sized bunk beds and a couch with a queen-sized pull-out bed, a kitchenette with a refrigerator and a microwave, as well as a full bathroom with a shower and toilet. The yurts are air conditioned and can accommodate up to six overnight guests.

-Messenger photo by Kelby Wingert
Two new yurts were added to the Kennedy Park campground this spring. The yurts sleep up to six guests and have a full bathroom, a kitchenette, a deck with deck furniture, a fire pit and a grill for guests to use.

Outside, each yurt has a fire pit and a grill, and a deck that wraps around the back of the yurt to overlook the woods and part of Badger Lake.

Overall, the project cost about $125,000, Cosgrove said. Of the total, $100,000 came from the Webster County supervisors, with the remaining coming out of the county conservation budget.

“This (project) is a revenue-sharing,” Cosgrove explained. “So for every dollar we make, they get 50 cents and the conservation board gets 50 cents.”

Cosgrove noted that the cost of this project was “considerably less” than if the county had decided to build two new cabins instead.

“A cabin that’s full-service like this would have cost about twice as much to build, at least,” he said.

-Messenger photo by Kelby Wingert
Each yurt has a deck with a table and chairs for guests to sit outside and enjoy.

The structural interior of the buildings are made of southern yellow pine wood, while the cabinets are made of hickory and the furniture out of more pine.

“A mix of hard wood and soft wood, trying to keep the rustic look,” Cosgrove said.

Each of the two yurts is themed. The “Mulligan’s” yurt is golf-themed, with golf decor, while the “Rod & Reel” yurt is fishing-themed, with fishing and lake decor.

When Webster County Conservation posted the availability of the yurts on its Facebook page on Monday morning, the first reservations were made within seven minutes, Cosgrove said.

A family that had been staying in the Kennedy camping cabin a few yards away were invited to stay in the yurts last weekend for a test run, Cosgrove said.

-Messenger photo by Kelby Wingert
The new yurts at Kennedy Park Campground include a full bathroom with shower, toilet and sink.

“They tried it and gave us some pointers, some things that work good, some things to improve,” he said.

The rental cabins provide a source of income for the county conservation department, Cosgrove said.

“It offsets our tax dollars when we can bring in that income,” he said. “It also provides for out-of-town visitors, it provides an opportunity to stay, but it also provides an opportunity for people in our town to come out and experience the campground again without investing in a camper or trailer or motor home or something like that.”

Cosgrove said the conservation board is looking into offering bundle packages like golf or kayaking while staying in the yurts.

“One of the things the conservation board tries to focus on is providing unique and a variety of outdoor recreational activities, and we thought it would be a unique addition to the park and provide the ability for people to spend the night,” he said.

-Messenger photo by Kelby Wingert
The two new yurts at Kennedy Park have a kitchenette with a refrigerator, microwave, cupboards and sink with running water.

Cosgrove said he is eager to see how guests enjoy their stay in the yurts, noting the possibility of more to be added in the future.

“We’ll see how popular they are,” he said. “We do have spots for a couple more, so we might add more if they’re really popular.”

The yurts, as well as the county’s other park cabins, will be deep-cleaned in between renters, Cosgrove said.

Cosgrove thanks the county board of supervisors for their help in making this project a success.

“The project was possible because the supervisors have helped us invest in these types of quality of life improvements for the parks and we appreciate their support,” he said.

With the addition of the two yurts, Webster County now has seven camping cabin facilities across three parks – Kennedy Park, Gypsum City OHV Park and Camp Wa-No-Ki.

Klein Construction, of Duncombe, built the yurts, while county conservation staff finished the interiors. Plumbing was installed by Bergman Plumbing, while electric was completed by Baker Electric and Bemrich Electric.

To reserve either of the yurts, go to www.mycountyparks.com/county/webster/facility.

The yurts rent for $100 per night, with a two-night minimum on weekends.

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