Still hope for hostel

The Redwood National Park Hostel rises over U.S. Highway 101 at Wilson Creek. The Daily Triplicate/Bryant Anderson

But hostel manager Kaci Elder and Redwood National and State Parks officials are still crossing their fingers.

According to the release, the hostel will close its doors indefinitely Jan. 18, 2010, because the building needs $1.5 million worth of repairs to stay in operation.

The repairs require extensive reconstruction, including seismic retrofitting, and renovations necessary to bring the building into compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

The building, while very old, has been remodeled too many times to meet the requirements of being a historic structure.

Manager Kaci Elder still has hope for the hostel. The Daily Triplicate/Kurt Madar

“Until recently the press release wouldn’t have said ‘indefinitely,’” Elder said. “Instead, the hostel would have just been closed.”

Why did the word “indefinitely” appear in what was previously thought as a done deal?

It started with a mistake.

Elder, in the process of preparing for the hostel’s recent anniversary party, sent an email out to a list server that had far more addresses than she imagined.

One of the recipients of the email was California Coastal Commission executive director Peter Douglas.

“Within a day of receiving the email he responded,” Elder said.

Elder said that Douglas told her he had no idea that the hostel was scheduled to close, and went so far as to say that he was sure the commission could find funds to save it.

 While the hostel’s future is still uncertain, Douglas has met with both Hosteling International and the National Park Service since receiving the email, said Elder and National Park Service superintendent Steve Chaney.

“We would be remiss if we let a treasure like the Redwood Hostel close,” Douglas said. “We will do everything we can to rescue it.”

Douglas pointed out that the commission has helped hostels in the past.

“Every high-end hotel that goes in along the coast has to pay money into a fund,” Douglas said. “There should be some money in the Low Cost Visitor Serving Accommodations account for helping the hostel.”

Douglas’ interest, and subsequent confidence that the commission could do something to help, made it possible for the National Park Service to offer some potential concessions as well.

Currently the hostel has a seven-year lease with the National Park Service, where 3.5 percent of the hostel’s net take goes to the national parks.

“If Hosteling International finds the funds to retrofit the structure, there are a number of possibilities,” said Chaney.

The first of these would be the possibility of a 50-year renewable lease, which makes finding funding for the repairs easier, according to Elder.

“It would also be possible that there wouldn’t exactly be a waiver of lease fees, but the hostel could make payment of lease fees with in-kind services,” Chaney said.

Essentially the hostel would not have to pay traditional lease fees because of the substantial investment in the structure.

Chaney said that for the repairs to begin there would also have to be careful attention paid to the significant cultural resources in the area.

“The site has importance to both the Tolowa and Yurok tribes,” Chaney said. “So whatever we do there in the way of building and disturbing the area, we would have to consult with the tribes.”

Elder remains optimistic because of that very uncertainty.

“People really want the hostel to stay open,” Elder said. “And after seeing all the interest, I have a faith that anything is possible.”

The hostel, built by Louis DeMartin, was established as a pioneer homestead in 1877, and even during those early years the home was open to travelers, who were offered a bed for 25 cents per night.

By 1985, the house was vacant and boarded up, but after extensive renovations the Redwood National Park Hostel opened its doors to travelers in June 1987.

Since then the hostel has hosted more than 75,000 travelers and over the past three years, overnight stays have increased by 40 percent.