Campground Copes with Sewage Compliance Issue

If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!It is not the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection’s (DEP) goal to shut down businesses. Instead, it just wants to bring them into compliance,  DEP spokeswoman Kathy Cosco told the Wheeling News Register. After an Ohio County Public Service District meeting Sept. 22, three Dallas Pike-area business people, including Sam Harris, owner of the Dallas Pike Campground, said the DEP had set deadlines... Read more

SPECIAL HALLOWEEN ROUNDTABLE

Suzanne Mark Editor’s Note” The following roundtable was written by Suzanne Mark. For more information about Suzanne, go to her website at www.TheMARKofExcellence.net, or e-mail her at marksuzane@aol.com. Halloween and haunting are big in the retail business, second only to Christmas. It’s not too shabby in the RV park and campground industry, either. All told, the spooky season has an economic impact of $4-6 billion, according to the consumer research firm Crosswalk. The Gallup’s... Read more

ARVC Agenda

Evanne Schmarder As the lead story of this issue of WCM indicates, ARVC is in the final planning stages of the upcoming 2010 InSites Annual Convention & Outdoor Hospitality Expo scheduled for Dec. 1-3 at the Rio All-Suites Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. InSites features Certified Park Operator (CPO) approved seminars covering educational tracks, presented by nationally recognized speakers and leaders in the industry; cracker barrel discussions; networking events; and social activities... Read more

INSIDE THE BELTWAY

David Gorin This column usually is devoted to activities on the federal level involving government recreation, travel, public lands, transportation and other similar programs that impact the commercial park sector. This month, I’m taking the liberty to focus briefly on two trends that I’ve noticed that are having significant impact on the RV park and campground industry. I’m sure many readers receive industry e-newsletters from a variety of sources, particularly RV Business, the RV Daily Report... Read more

ON CAMPGROUNDS

Bob Ashley The weather was better this summer than last in northern Michigan. Hence, Tee Pee Campground in Mackinaw City, Mich., had a better summer season. “Last year, the weather didn’t cooperate, but neither did the economy,” said Jo Cooley who has owned the 100-site park with her husband, Gene, for 40 years. ”This year, our summer was good. The weather cooperated, and we saw more families and people stayed longer. Either the economy is getting better or people just got tired... Read more

Iowa Opens New State Park Campground

The first new campground in an Iowa state park in seven years recently opened at the Volga River State Recreation Area. The new campground is at the north end of Volga River with a view of the lake off in the distance, the Dubuque Telegraph Herald reported. “This campground was built from scratch on an old crop field,” said Scot Michelson, park ranger at Volga River. “We planted trees in the area years ago that are now 12 to 15 years old and will give this new campground a more... Read more

Michigan’s ‘Recreation Passport’ Begins Oct. 1

A program that aims to generate more money for Michigan State Parks begins Friday (Oct. 1), the Toledo (Ohio) Blade reported. Michigan residents will be given the option to buy annual “recreation passports” for an additional $10 with their vehicle registration fees. The passports will allow access to all of Michigan’s 98 state parks and recreation areas and boat launches. Their cost will be indexed to inflation starting in 2012. State residents currently are charged $6 a day or $24 for an annual... Read more

Idaho State Park Visits Up, Despite Higher Fees

Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation officials say overall visitation numbers rose this year, though it’s still too early to judge the effect of increased recreation fees, the Associated Press reported. That’s because many of those who stayed at campgrounds in Idaho’s 30 state parks made their reservations before price hikes began this year. A year ago, 79,669 people stayed overnight at state parks in tents, RVs or cabins and yurts. This year, the numbers rose to just over 80,600,... Read more

Mississippi River Inundates Wisconsin RV Park

When Lynn Kasper and her family from Cedar, Minn., decided to go camping in La Crosse, Wis., at the Pettibone RV Park, they expected to have a relaxing week on the campground, WEAU-TV, Eau Claire, Wis., reported. But when they got there on Thursday night (Sept. 23), they were told they couldn’t stay because of rising flood water. “We were able to walk through our campsite, but the next day it was flooded,” Lynn said. So they decided to camp in the parking lot. “Our friend went and... Read more

Outlook ‘Bleak’ for Investors in Nevada RV Park

Two years after longtime Pahrump developer Hans Seibt filed for bankruptcy with $70 million in debts, a court-appointed trustee has been unable to find any assets to pay back hundreds of investors, many of them seniors who lost their life savings, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported. “I think it’s a pretty bleak outlook for the investors to recover their money,” the trustee, Lenard Schwartzer said. “I don’t see any assets coming from the estate to pay them.” The... Read more

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