Archive for May, 2007

>A perfect volunteer opportunity has opened up for those who want to spend some time outside.

Sterling State Park is in need of campground hosts this summer.

The host helps other campers have a safe camping experience, while getting a free stay at a campsite.

Campground hosts share their expertise and knowledge of camping and answer questions and organize campground activities.

“Our busiest time is on the weekends, but they would be expected to do 40 hours a week, and stay for a minimum of 30 days,” said Colleen Richardson, secretary at Sterling State Park. “In exchange, we offer a free campsite with electricity.”
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The Woman’s Guide to Solo RVing provides answers to ALL the questions asked by solo women, who are either planning to go on the road or else have already taken the plunge. From the basics of Can I go it alone and How do I deal with loneliness to the specifics of How to drive alone and What I need to know about maintaining complicated RV systems.

>A campground that hosts thousands of recreational vehicles every year during the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta has been declared off-limits after state inspectors discovered 15 safety hazards with electrical equipment on the site.

It’s not clear if the problems can be fixed in time for this fall’s fiesta, a city official says.

The land in question is the 78-acre former Los Angeles Landfill. It lies just south of Balloon Fiesta Park and every year hosts 1,200 to 1,500 RVs as part of the fiesta. As a campground, the land brings in at least $100,000 a year for the fiesta, one official estimated.

The hazards include insecure circuit breakers, substandard equipment and electric lines that run near water lines or standing pools of water, according to a report issued in April by the state Occupational Health and Safety Bureau.

“It is my recommendation that the existing service equipment for the RV use be de-energized and removed,” wrote state consultant Gene Ostmeyer, who said the system presented a “potentially huge liability.”
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>PONTOON BEACH, ILL — A local land owner says he invested more than $100,000 after being assured by village officials that he could develop a campground for recreational vehicles.

“Everything was a go,” said Dan Evans, the would-be developer.

But in February, less than four months after the village board approved an ordinance allowing campgrounds, it repealed the measure.

Local officials say they were responding to opposition from neighbors. The dispute has prompted Evans to sue the village.

Evans owns 40 acres of land north of Horseshoe Lake Road and west of Illinois Route 111.

“It used to be a sand pit,” he said. “I spent thousands of dollars to clean it up.”

He said many people think a lake on the property is the best fishing lake in Madison County.

“Some people asked me about putting their campers there,” Evans said. “The mayor and trustees thought it was a good idea.”

The board voted unanimously on Oct. 24 to approve the ordinance, but then voted unanimously on Feb. 13 to repeal it.

In between the two votes, neighboring residents gathered more than 200 signatures on a petition against a campground.

A hearing on Evans’ request for a permit was held last Wednesday, before a hearing officer for the village, but Evans wasn’t there. Giacaletto said Evans had no application pending since the village canceled the earlier hearing and returned his filing fee.

Among the speakers were Betty Johnson and Gail Gargac, who led the petition drive. Johnson lives on Virginia Drive, a block-long street that is on three sides of the Evans property. She said a campground would attract alcohol, drugs, homeless people and sex offenders.
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