OCEAN CITY – The first year of a kayak and standup paddleboard (SUP) rental at Northside Park turned out to be successful and in turn the company is interested in expanding its operation.

On Tuesday, the Recreation and Parks Commission received an update on how the first year of a kayak and SUP rental went in its first summer operating at Northside Park (NSP).

The concept of having a kayak rental concession at NSP was initially brought forward by an independent business but the commission felt it would be most equitable to have the opportunity go through the Request For Proposal (RFP) process.
Following a closed session in October 2013 to discuss contractual matters regarding the concession, the Recreation and Parks Commission was in consensus to recommend to the Mayor and City Council the kayak rental concession RFP and in turn the council voted unanimously to approve.
Four bids were received on Nov. 12. The highest and best bid was submitted by Best Aquatic Management, LLC for $41,900 annually for two years and the Mayor and City Council voted unanimously to award the bid. The concession began operation on May 1, 2014.

“It went really well. Best Aquatic was tremendous to work with,” Recreation and Parks Director Susan Petito said.

However, the operation broke even in the first year and has expressed interest in enhancing the operation, such as expanding programs to offer sunset tours and guided tours as well as expanded hours.

Best Aquatic is scheduled to meet with the Recreation and Parks Department next week to discuss the matter and to ensure in moving forward the programs will not conflict with NSP programs in the summer, such as the SUP camp.

The only issue that came up over the summer was neighbors became concerned over users stepping onto the wetlands but the concern was addressed by Best Aquatics by further educating their customers on what was appropriate while paddling, according to Petito.

“They were very proactive,” Petito said.