Community Forums

mjstef · 08-17-2003, 12:31 PM

We purchased this park in 99. We have pretty much kept up the rules of the former owners and added a few new ones. One of the former rules that we kept is for the monthlies which is they mow and weed eat a small radius around there trailer. (the whole lot if they want) The snowbirds take a lot of pride in there lots even to the extent of spending $1000's on landscaping and sod (most are 2500-3000 SQ FEET) and most DO NOT want us on there lots at all with our mowers. Others hire our workampers on the side to take care of theirs. This has been the case here for 15 years! It is also stated in our monthly contract. Right now we have construction workers in here for up to a year and there is an uproar that we even ask them to do this. Some of them got to looking pretty bad so we try to get up and at least knock it down a little. Then, They get pissed because maybe they work nights and you woke them up, Or you bumped there Satelite dish, Or you knicked there sewer hose with the weed eater, or the weed eater threw a stone and hit there trailer! All the reasons we would rather them do the close work themselves. So do we just do it and have them pick all there stuff up once a week or do we enforce the policy that has been in effect for 15 years????

2003.25 F250 Crew Cab Long Bed 4x4 6spd 6.0PSD 3.73 Dark Shadow Grey
My Truck Our Campground Southeast Diesel rally North Florida Dealer for Western Diesel Performance, Ultra Hitch goosneck adapters American fuel/tool tanks and Jordan Brake Controllers. Dieseltorque Website

mjstef · 08-17-2003, 12:31 PM

We purchased this park in 99. We have pretty much kept up the rules of the former owners and added a few new ones. One of the former rules that we kept is for the monthlies which is they mow and weed eat a small radius around there trailer. (the whole lot if they want) The snowbirds take a lot of pride in there lots even to the extent of spending $1000's on landscaping and sod (most are 2500-3000 SQ FEET) and most DO NOT want us on there lots at all with our mowers. Others hire our workampers on the side to take care of theirs. This has been the case here for 15 years! It is also stated in our monthly contract. Right now we have construction workers in here for up to a year and there is an uproar that we even ask them to do this. Some of them got to looking pretty bad so we try to get up and at least knock it down a little. Then, They get pissed because maybe they work nights and you woke them up, Or you bumped there Satelite dish, Or you knicked there sewer hose with the weed eater, or the weed eater threw a stone and hit there trailer! All the reasons we would rather them do the close work themselves. So do we just do it and have them pick all there stuff up once a week or do we enforce the policy that has been in effect for 15 years????

2003.25 F250 Crew Cab Long Bed 4x4 6spd 6.0PSD 3.73 Dark Shadow Grey
My Truck Our Campground Southeast Diesel rally North Florida Dealer for Western Diesel Performance, Ultra Hitch goosneck adapters American fuel/tool tanks and Jordan Brake Controllers. Dieseltorque Website

Julie in Oregon · 08-17-2003, 01:26 PM

At our park here in SE Michigan, those who have a seasonal site are REQUIRED to mow our own yard and keep things looking nice.

No problem with most of us. You have the occasional DIP HEAD who bucks the system, but we all figure that for the low rent we pay for the season, we can easily take care of our own yard.

Tell them to go to a thrift shop and buy a $50 mower and take care of it!!!!!!!

Julie in Ohio
editor@irv2.com

DON & JULIE RYCHENER
Full-timing @ 42
2002 New Vision 3452Px3
We're Coming to the 2004 National IRV2 Rally in Boerne, Texas! Join Us!

mjstef · 08-17-2003, 02:17 PM

Julie,

We have mowers and weedeaters they can use anytime they want. Don't even have to buy the gas! Seems like every year we end up with someone wanting to leave us a lawnmower when they move on so no problem there.

2003.25 F250 Crew Cab Long Bed 4x4 6spd 6.0PSD 3.73 Dark Shadow Grey
My Truck Our Campground Southeast Diesel rally North Florida Dealer for Western Diesel Performance, Ultra Hitch goosneck adapters American fuel/tool tanks and Jordan Brake Controllers. Dieseltorque Website

Hitchhiker · 08-17-2003, 02:39 PM

Hello Matt,

I stopped by to see you back in March on my way home from Tampa. They said you were down in the Keys with your boat; I asked them to let you know 'HitchHiker" stopped by to say 'Hi'. I didn't have my rig with me so I couldn't stay overnight, we had made a fast trip for my grandson's birthday.

You have a beautiful park and some great people working for you.

It sounds like you're in a quandary with a few of your monthlies.

Have you considered offering mowing service as an 'optional charge' to the monthlies? That way you could keep the policy the same for all those who take pride in doing their own and those folks who hate to mow could opt for the extra charge and then your employees could take care of it.

Don't know what to say about all the griping about waking them up, bumping their satellite dishes, nicking their sewer hoses, or the stones hitting their trailers. Guess those folks doing the mowing would just need to use due diligence and someone (probably you) would need to handle any complainers.

Again, my compliments on maintaining such high standards with your park, we RV'rs wish they were all as nice as yours.

Richard

2002 Hitchhiker Discovery towed with a 2002 Ford Powerstroke Diesel F350 Lariat 4X4 CC 6 speed Dually.

mjstef · 08-17-2003, 03:04 PM

Thanks Richard. I heard you were here. Did you get a chance to drive around??? I am in the process of remodeling the office right no. I built a new registration counter and now i am doing a display area for merchandise.

http://www.starkekoa.com/P1010143.JPG

2003.25 F250 Crew Cab Long Bed 4x4 6spd 6.0PSD 3.73 Dark Shadow Grey
My Truck Our Campground Southeast Diesel rally North Florida Dealer for Western Diesel Performance, Ultra Hitch goosneck adapters American fuel/tool tanks and Jordan Brake Controllers. Dieseltorque Website

Hitchhiker · 08-17-2003, 03:12 PM

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by mjstef:
"Did you get a chance to drive around???" <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

We sure did, they let us ride all through the park and look it over. It looked great!

Richard

2002 Hitchhiker Discovery towed with a 2002 Ford Powerstroke Diesel F350 Lariat 4X4 CC 6 speed Dually.

Workers On The Go · 08-18-2003, 02:43 PM

You are the owner, you make the rules, you have the mowing requirement in your contract. A campground we worked at imposed a fine of $200.00 for a violation of the rules. This might seem drastic but effective. Why not write something into any new contracts that if not kept mowed you will have a service mow the lot and add the fee to their bill or like hitchhiker suggested you will assess $$ for the mowing each week or month.

See who I am:

http://pages.ivillage.com/workersonthego/

Edmund A Skibinski · 08-19-2003, 07:02 AM

mjstef,I would enforce the rules as they are written in the contract that they keep there site neat and grass cut period and if they didn't do that, then I would asscess a fee to get the site looking like it should.

02 Newmar Mountain Aire · Workhorse W22 · w/22.5s
01 Jeep GCL

Sherry & Family · 08-19-2003, 01:20 PM

I think in order to answer your question, you should first ask yourself what you want your campground to be made up of.
If your best market is the snowbirds, you will only offend them if you let the Construction workers get by without holding up their agreement, and they may find another campground.
If the Construction workers are where the money is-then do what it takes to keep from causing a fuss.
Let the $$$$ make up your mind.
Sherry

Sherry & family
1999 Coleman Utah

Justme · 04-15-2004, 01:00 AM

Maybe the former owners didn't accept permanet campers, so didn't have the up keep problem.I agree you have to decide if it's worth it,having people willing to live/camp on a spot that is covered with weeds,etc.Most people will go on down the road,rather than be parked around them.Most of us will put up with whatever,overnight,but won't stay in a junky,unkempt park.JMO

Ozark RVer · 04-15-2004, 02:03 PM

We travel with my husbands job and have stayed at many campgrounds over the past 3 years. I have never been asked to mow the grass around my site. The campgrounds we've stayed at haven't even given us a choice. We have been told by some of the campgrounds though, that if we have any lawn ornaments out that they need to be moved when they are mowing around our rig if we want our site mowed. I don't think we'd mind having to keep up the area, we've just never been given the choice. I'm not making excuses for the construction workers at your park, I'm just pretty sure that they've never been asked to do this before

Tommy D · 04-15-2004, 04:08 PM

We full timed in South Fla. for 6 years in a "long term" site and we had to keep up our lawn. Those in "short term" sites did not. Here at our park, we don't have long term, so we keep the lawns mowed. Yard art sometimes is a problem, but not worth saying much about it.

Jane (an Okie) · 05-08-2004, 12:59 PM

I assume that some short termers are there long enough so that you mow/weed eat their sites while they are there. How do you handle the complaints about nicked sewer hose, satellite dish bumps, etc., with them? I assume it should be no different with the long termers when you have to do their sites. Re different standards for long termers: Why not give them a choice? The monthly rate is X$'s if they do it themselves and X plus something if they want you to do it. If they choose the first, it will entail an extra charge if you have to come in and do it. If it were me, I would drive around the day before the yard work is to be done in the area and leave a note at any site which needs mowing says that it will be done by you the next day (or in two days which would give them a better chance to get it done if they want to) at a cost of $?s if the folks don't want to do it themselves. That cuts down on the "surprise" when the bill comes due with their rent the next month and thus a lot of arguments, etc. I would tell the long termers who do their own sites about the new fees so that they will know that someone else isn't getting more services for the same money.