b'framed, poured and stamped the concrete they are currently building. Kirsten, 22, is the oldest. under construction.pads for every site. The kids also built the The ONeills children also began to rec- She has the leadership skillset, ONeill While the ONeills hired a sewer contrac-campgrounds newest seven glamping tents ognize the unique skillsets they bring to the said. Shes a really good researcher. Some- tor to put in septic fields and an electrician toand designed the parks tiny homes, which family business. times when you need to do something, and wire their new electrical pedestals, the kids,you just have an idea, youve got to do a lot along with Patrick Hunter and Pat ONeill, didof research to figure it out. Shes not afraid to most of the construction work themselves.make phone calls, talk to people and ask They work with local permitting agencies andquestions. building inspectors to ensure that everythingthey do is up to code.The ONeills have also worked together tocome up with innovative layouts for theircampsites. When we would have a design day, wewouldgoandstakeoutcampsites,ex-plained ONeill. We would spend the wholeday as a team, designing what each sitewould look like. A lot of time and thought wentinto how to design each campsite. We havethe density to have 110 campsites, but weonly have 55 because we kept the trees.This provides much appreciated value forthe guests who love the natural environmentof trees and lake views from every site, headded. While the ONeills have staff that managesfront desk operations at Twin Lakes, ONeillMegan ONeill teases her boyfriend, Isaiah, with said his involvement in park improvements isa hammer while working inside a tiny home. minimal, though he does provide oversight. Im the consultant and Im also the vetoMegan, 20, is the artist. A naturally tal- guy, he said. I pay the bills and veto if some-ented painter and photographer, according to things crazy.ONeill, she helps guide the design of Twin But thats not something hes had to doParksimprovements,drawinginspiration very often. In fact, since the ONeills took overfrom photos she finds online through Google Twin Lakes four years ago, the parks busi-Images, Pinterest and architecture maga- ness has been on the upswing, growing be-zines. tween 25% to 35% each year.KK, 17, is the mechanic. She has an apti- Ultimately, however, ONeill wants his chil-tude for fixing things, particularly diesels, dren to use the opportunity to rebuild and im-ONeill said.Nelson, 15, is a typical boy. He likes totake stuff apart and rebuild it, ONeill said,while Maggie, 13, has the makings of an ac-countant.Shesmynumbersgirl,ONeillsaid.She has a natural ability to look at numbersand counts everything in her head subcon-sciously.So much, in fact, that ONeill recently The ONeill family has installed tents as theyshowed her Twin Lakes tax returns to start continue to rehab Twin Lakes. getting her thinking about business manage-ment from an accountants perspective. prove Twin Lakes as a way to figure out theirOver the past four years, ONeills children own unique paths in life.have rebuilt much of the infrastructure at I told them, This is your college fund. IfTwin Lakes, while adding new amenities, in- you want to go to college, figure out what youcludingsevenglampingtents,onelake want to do and go and pay for it yourself, hehouse, and three tiny houses, which are now said, adding, A minority of kids really knowwhat they want to do when they go to col-lege. The goal is for each individual to findtheir own natural talents and put them touse.But as they transform Twin Lakes intonorthwest Floridas newest glamping resort,ONeill said his children are figuring out theirown paths in life, while recognizing their fu-ture opportunities.I want to let them work using the talentsthey choose to use, he said. If they want tooperate and run the park, do it. If you want tomow grass for 50 years, do it. Do whateveryou gravitate to.ONeill suspects, however, that Twin Lakeswont be their last project together. Some ofhis kids are already talking about expandingTwin Lakes, building more tiny houses and,eventually, adding treehouses.The ONeills have had great satisfactionseeing their children develop new talents andcapabilities over the years. We held their hands though the first part,and just guided them, kind of like riding a bikewith training wheels, he said. Eventually,you take the wheels off and let go. I think thetraining wheels are definitely off now. Theyare building their own furniture, building theirown tiny houses, building their own lives withthe talents they have and the skills they havelearned.As parents we could not be prouderof them.WCM22 -February 2020 Woodalls Campground Management'