Kickstarter campaign to fund cabins at Cape Henlopen State Park

State Park officials have launched a Kickstarter campaign to offset the cost of building six camping cabins at Cape Henlopen State Park. And they've sweetened the deal by offering bonuses like park passes and stays at the new cabins as a way to build interest in the entrepreneurial effort.

But for Delaware Parks, the campaign is also about building awareness about Cape Henlopen and other state parks and encouraging people to visit. Kickstarter uses crowdfunding to help entrepreneurs take an idea and turn it into reality.

"It helps us raise buzz," said Raymond E. Bivens, Delaware State Parks director.

State parks are 65 to 70 percent self-funded, using proceeds from fees to improve facilities, he said.

This is the second time park officials used crowdfunding to raise money for a project. In 2014 they generated $20,000 to install Mobi Mats at parks through the National Recreation and Park Association's "Fund Your Park" initiative. The mats help people with disabilities navigate over the soft sand.

This time, they are seeking a minimum of $4,000 for their Cape Henlopen Cabin campaign.

Bivens said they set the bar low because with Kickstarter, if you don't reach your goal, you don't get anything.

The folks who help the state reach that base goal get freebies in exchange for their donations.

Brrrrr ... Polar Bears take plunge in Rehoboth Beach

Cape May-Lewes Ferry receives $6 million grant

For $1,500, for instance, you get a week-long stay in one of the Cape Henlopen cabins you helped to fund. Three $500 donors get a stay over the Memorial Day weekend. The cost of each cabin is $85 per night or $595 per week during the pre-summer season.

State parks have become more business focused and entrepreneurial in recent years and state lawmakers already agreed to allow parks to do sponsorships and offer give-a-ways as a way to grow revenues, Bivens said.

The cabin projects -- there are six already at the Cape Henlopen State Park -- is already funded through park revenues.

The two-room cabins sleep six and include a king-sized bed and two bunk beds. There is electricity, a small refrigerator and heat and air conditioning. In addition, there is a screened front porch and an outdoor grill. Visitors bring bed linens and other camp supplies, said Pat Cooper, regional administrator for Delaware's coastal parks.

The cabins are the latest upgrade to the Cape Henlopen campground. A new bathhouse was added last year. The additional cabins are expected to be ready for the Memorial Day weekend.

In September, the campground will close while new electric and waterlines are installed, Cooper said. In addition, an old bathhouse will be repurposed into a camp store where visitors can buy basics like bread, milk and firewood, he said.

"Once we get everything done, this will be a year-round operation," Cooper said.

Green Diamond Builders of Felton is constructing the cabins, which cost $137,131, Bivens said. Half the cost is paid for by a federal Land and Water Conservation Fund Grant, he said. Each is 476 square feet and has a screened porch.

“I am always happy to hear visitors tell me they look forward to bringing their family to our parks each year, spending camping trips with us as their annual family vacation,” Bivens said. “We are proud of this Kickstarter campaign as it will increase the opportunity for more families to share in an enjoyable, educational, relaxing and most of all, affordable vacation.”

The park started with six cabins for the start of the 2015 season and had a 97 percent occupancy rate.

“According to last year’s numbers and the projected numbers for 2016, these cabins will allow us to host around 2,000 people throughout the peak season,” said Cape Henlopen State Park Manager Paul Faircloth.

Contributions can be made to the campaign until Wednesday.

Reach Molly Murray at (302) 463-3334 or mmurray@delawareonline.com. Follow her on Twitter @MollyMurraytnj.