US Sen. Ron Wyden blasts 'mismanagement' by Crater Lake National Park concessioner

U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden wants federal officials to “act immediately” to remedy what the Oregon Democrat is calling mismanagement at Crater Lake National Park by its concessioner.

In a letter to National Park Service Director Charles Sams III, Wyden wrote that Aramark — doing business as Crater Lake Hospitality — failed to perform required maintenance and has created unsafe living conditions for its staff.

Wyden cited diesel spills, malfunctioning fire alarms and unsatisfactory public health inspections as examples of where the company is falling short.

“The annual concessionaire assessments paint a troubling picture of the concessionaire’s fulfillment of its important responsibilities at Crater Lake National Park over several years,” Wyden wrote.

Wyden said he sent his staff to the park to check out the issues.

“The issues that staff observed during this visit have only served to solidify my understanding of the seriousness of the concessionaire’s failure to plan for and perform important regular maintenance, adequately train staff and address issues that directly threaten safety,“ Wyden wrote.

Aramark was picked in 2018 to run lodging, a campground, boat tours, food service and retail at Oregon’s only national park.

Last summer, new boats delivered to the lake for tours were stuck in mooring due to a delay in getting them certified by the U.S. Coast Guard, and scheduling an onsite inspection.

Wyden said the “lack of investment and deferred maintenance by the concessionaire has prevented progress on a number of maintenance and improvement projects that the National Park Service has approved,” he said.

In an emailed statement, a company spokesperson for Aramark said: “We take these concerns very seriously, and the examples provided are not reflective of Aramark’s standards."

As progress, the company cited recent upgrades to cabins at Mazama Village, refreshed rooms at Crater Lake Lodge, renovations at the Rim Village Café & Gift Shop, and the delivery of new eco-friendly boats for scenic tours.

“Additional investments are planned to address other important aspects of our operations, and we will continue to work closely with the National Park Service to improve the staff and visitor experience,” the company said.

Zach Urness has been an outdoors reporter in Oregon for 15 years and is host of the Explore Oregon Podcast. Urness is the author of “Best Hikes with Kids: Oregon” and “Hiking Southern Oregon.” He can be reached at zurness@StatesmanJournal.com or (503) 399-6801. Find him on Twitter at @ZachsORoutdoors.

This article originally appeared on Salem Statesman Journal: US Sen. Ron Wyden blasts Crater Lake National Park concessioner