Association Island KOA
After nearly 20 years of owning and operating the Association Island Kampground of America (KOA) located on its namesake island in Lake Ontario, the Shim family announced Monday (Jan. 25) that it has sold the resort, according to nny360.com.
In a post on the business’s Facebook page, Dr. John Shim, now-former chief executive officer of Association Island, said his parents, Dr. Nak K. and Sue Shim, have sold the RV park to Sun Communities Inc.
“We are confident Sun Communities will take Association Island to new heights while preserving the history, the beauty, and the legacy of Association Island,” the younger Dr. Shim wrote.
Dr. Shim could not be reached for additional comment Monday night, nor could representatives from Sun Communities.
Terms of the sale were also not disclosed Monday night.
Sun Communities is a real estate investment trust that has been in the business of acquiring, operating, developing and expanding manufactured home and RV communities since 1975. The publicly-traded company has a portfolio of over 400 properties, including more than 150 RV communities.
The 65-acre Association Island, which has an assessed value of $4.63 million, according to Jefferson County real property records, has a long history as a resort.
Dr. Nak and Sue Shim immigrated from Seoul, South Korea to the U.S. in the 1960s. After working as an orthopedic surgeon for many years, Dr. Shim and his wife purchased Association Island in Henderson, N.Y. and built the Association Island KOA, which opened in 2002.
The elder Dr. Shim has been associated with the island since 1981 when he and a group of doctors known as Association Island Development Corp. bought Association Island and neighboring Snowshoe Island from the Recreational Corp. with the intention of building townhouses. The two islands, west of Henderson Harbor, are connected to the mainland by 8-foot-wide causeways.
“Next time you see Doc and Sue Shim on the Island, it will be as a fellow guest,” their son wrote on Facebook. “As they are only 85 years old, they are planning their next adventure, but hope to make it on the island to visit with you all in the future.”
