b'COVID-19 CrisisCampground Owners Describe Effects Of COVID-19 on OperationsThe coronavirus (COVID-19) has had a wide-ranging impact on the RV park and campground sectors.Lainey Beyhan, of Dolores River Campground & Cabins in Dolores, Colo.The National Association of RV Parks and Campgrounds (ARVC) We are a seasonal summer campground, so we have not had can-asked campground owners from around the country to share theircellations due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, our reservationsstories on how the virus is impacting their parks.have slowed to almost a complete stop. At this time of year we typicallyUnfortunately, due to space constraints we arent able to share receive about 25-30 new reservations per week for the upcoming sum-everyones story, but here are a few who gave their permission for mer months. We are down to receiving just one new reservation overWoodalls Campground Management to share. the last week. We are worried about a drastic decrease in business forthe upcoming summer. We open for the season on May 1. Juli Sharratt, Cooperstown Beaver Valley Cabins & Campsites in Cooperstown, N.Y.Cynthia Naumann, Perryville Campground in Perryville, Mo. We are only into our first year of park ownership. When we bought We have owned Beaver Valley Cabins & Campsites since 1988. We bought aour park, it was in steady decline because of past negligence and over bankrupt business of about 58 viable campsites and over the 30-plus years we havethe past year, we have invested hundreds of thousands of dollars to invested more than $3 million in capital improvements. We do 98% of our $475,000bring our park back up to where it should be per market demands. De- gross business during only three months of the year. Our peak season runs from spite our best efforts in marketing and noted high reviews and recom- Memorial Day through Labor Day. mendations, we are shockingly behind a minimum of $10,000 from our We are a destination campground. Most of our guests are here for a week to March 2019 profits. We have been receiving at minimum 7 to 10 virus- visit the Baseball Hall of Fame and to watch their children play in a local week-longrelated cancellation calls per day, expanding well into the May time- tournament at the Cooperstown Dreams Park.frame. This comes even from our most trusted, frequent customers.The Baseball Hall of Fame and the other museums have already closed indefi-We are certainly worried. We have two young children we are rais- nitely.The Hall of Fame has canceled their Baseball Classic over Memorial Daying, and we left our safe, corporate jobs for this industry that weve weekend and people are asking for refunds of approximately $6,500.grown to love and respect so much. Were stuck between a rock and a If social distancing persists into the summer, the tournaments will be shut down as will our childrens baseball training camp.hard place. I willingly accepted and am honored to serve as the Mis-souri Association of RV Parks and Campgrounds secretary and am Out of 2,500 nights that could be rented during June, July, and August, 93% ofwilling to stand up to whatever task that is needed during this critical those nights are already booked. 100% of those booked are tournament families.phase in our industrys future. These 350 families have begun canceling and asking about refunds.And I know therequests will continue to come in.We cannot simply liquidate assets as some other businesses can. If Beaver Valley were a bookstore in a mall, we could sell our stock discounted at a final sale,turn over the keys to the landlord, walk away and still go to bed in our own home.Ifwe lose this summer and do not have the $475,000 in gross business we usually see,we will lose the campground (our only source of income), our home, our daughtershome and our retirement. It is also impossible for us to recover from two or three months of lost income overthe remaining nine or 10 months of the year as other industries can. Like other sum-mer businesses, our yearly income is generated in those three summer months. Teri Blaschke, Hidden Valley RV Park in Wylie, TexasHidden Valley RV Park has 72 sites, and three accommodations, and weare generally closed from December through March, with the shoulder monthsof November and April at 75% occupancy.Currently, as a result of COVID-19concerns we have had 27 cancellations over the past couple weeks in March,which have resulted in a total loss of $10,150.$6,680 of that figure are dollarsthat would have been collected by the end of the reserved stays and $3,470 isthe total amount of deposits refunded to our guests who cancelled.In addition, we are currently at about 50% occupancy instead of the 95%occupancy we have had in past years during the month of March. Since somany of the attractions in our city have closed and travel concerns haveplagued our guests, they are not making reservations for the coming weeksand months due to uncertainty regarding travel restrictions and available at-tractions and basic amenities.Connie McCutchen, Lake Pines Campground & RV Park in Midland, Ga.Lake Pines RV Park has definitely experienced mass cancellations as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. We had multiple group rallies scheduled forthe month of March, all of which cancelled. Fort Benning military base and the26 -May 2020 city of Columbus, Ga., have cancelled all sporting events, family events, andpublic events, including the county fair. Not only have we refunded thousandsof dollars in deposit refunds, but we also lost the revenue for the balances theywould have paid upon arrival.Woodalls Campground Management'