RV park causing a big stink

Nick Lewis

There is a real foul stench floating across Lake Reba from Camp Catalpa back to Richmond City Hall. It’s not caused by raw sewage or trash or dead animals, but rather due to the manner in which Order 08-36 was quickly and quietly passed by the city commission.

Their vote approved the lease of 15 acres in Camp Catalpa to a “private group” for the creation of an RV Park. The private group is Lakeview RV Park LLC and the work will be done by A&T; Holdings Inc., owned by Allen Grant Jr. and Tim Grant of Richmond.

The idea of an RV park may or may not be a bad idea. It does have some merit in adding to all of the opportunities in the city’s park system and it could even generate some additional funds for the city. However, the stench is not about the idea itself or the developers proposing it, but rather about the passage of this order in really sneaky, underhanded way. Here’s why.

On the published agenda for the commission meeting of February 26, there were three ordinances and eight orders listed to be heard. Listed below (using their exact wording) are a few of the orders as well as Order 08-36 that support my point.

• Order No. 08-33: An Order of the City of Richmond Authorizing a Pay Application for the Allen Company

• Order No. 08-34: An Order of the City of Richmond, Kentucky Hiring Seasonal Workers for Gibson Bay Golf Course

• Order No. 08-35: An Order of the City of Richmond Entering into an Agreement with the Kentucky League of Cities for Insurance

• Order No. 08-36: An Order of the City of Richmond Entering into a Net Ground Lease

As you can see, the first three orders were very specific in use of words that easily describe what the order was about. The remaining four Orders and three Ordinances were also very specific in wording. But as you can see Order No. 08-36 is extremely vague and non-descriptive. Without attending a meeting or reading the lease, it’s difficult for anyone to know what this order was about and the parties involved.

Shouldn’t it have been stated as follows? Order No. 08-36: An Order of the City of Richmond Entering into a Net Ground Lease with Lakeview RV Park, LLC to create an RV Park at Camp Catalpa.

If it had been, no one would have had any difficulty in understanding the order. This city commission must ensure that all information on their agenda is described in full detail. Deliberating withholding information from its citizens is wrong.

Why wasn’t a clear and detailed description of the order stated on the agenda as it was on the remainder of them? That’s simple. It would have created controversy. This city commission doesn’t like controversy and can’t handle it very well.

There are other actions that contribute to this foul odor. The city government made statements in justifying their decisions not to seek bids for this project. Mayor Connie Lawson was quoted in our story justifying the no bid process. “We’re not paying anything,” she said. “We’re just sharing the profits.” City Manager David Evans said there was no advertisement for the bid because it was not something the city was bidding. Although that is true, they could have solicited bids and chose the one with the best plan and the best return on the investment of public land for private use. But they didn’t.

According to Evans, it is unknown how many spaces will be available and what the owners will charge for each space. So, all we know is that the city will receive 10 percent of the gross rents as stated in the lease. Even though they have no clue what revenues they could realize, Mayor Lawson executed the lease anyway. Shouldn’t we expect the city commission to be good stewards of the city’s finances?

So, how much revenue could this venture generate? Fort Boonesborough State Park will be charging around $25 a day per spot. They have 167 spots available. The lady I spoke with indicated they are open year round, but their busiest time is April through October totaling 214 days. Based on this scenario, that calculates to about $893,450 of revenue during the busy season. Ten percent would be $89,345.

Applying this to Camp Catalpa and assuming there will be at least 125 spots, the city could realize between $65,000 and $90,000 in annual revenues depending on the number of spaces and the cost to rent them. Since this will be operated by a “private group,” their rent will likely be higher than that of a state park. The city can also generate additional revenue through the sale of tokens, passes or tickets sold by Lakeview RV Park, LLC who will also receive a 10 percent commission on those sales.

But like the TV show Deal or No Deal, did they make a good deal? They don’t know because they didn’t try. They simply rushed this through without much thought or research. Did they even ask what the potential revenues could be? Why didn’t they negotiate a fixed rent per acre and know exactly how much revenue they could expect each year? Could it have had something to do with the identities of the developers?

Before I move on to other areas of concern, let me tell you about Article 39 in the lease and a future concern. It is about the Tenant’s Right of First Refusal. It states that if the city should ever sell Camp Catalpa, Lakeview RV Park LLC gets the first option to buy the property. Some citizens are concerned that this venture is just a precursor to condos on the lake and who knows what else. That’s certainly something to think about.

A group calling themselves “Save Camp Catalpa” is mounting a fight to save the land and preserve its natural beauty and purpose. Although the lease has already been executed, there still is time and means to reverse this decision. Not only is this group upset with this decision, the group that spent their time and money creating a disc golf course also is upset.

Last May, the city commission approved the disc golf course at Camp Catalpa. Now they have reneged on that decision. What does that action say about their trustworthiness in honoring any commitments they make today and in the future?

Finally, why weren’t any public forums held to discuss this venture? The justification that the city wasn’t going to be spending any of the citizen’s tax dollars just doesn’t hold water. Citizens should have a say in how any public land is going to be used, especially for private use. Citizens are upset and rightfully so. According to our online poll, 84 percent of participants are against an RV Park in Camp Catalpa.

It’s clear to me that the city commission took advantage of citizen trust and pulled a fast one on them by passing Order 08-36 in the manner they did.

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