Cabins might replace trailers at county lake
Staff reporter
The old, outdated, non-compliant trailers at Marion County Park and Lake may be phased out with cabins and may replace them.
Marion County Commission Chairman Dan Holub asked park superintendent Dale Snelling specifics about the trailer court during Monday's commission meeting.
Snelling said the 57 trailers were various lengths with no trailers longer than 60 feet including the tongue.
The trailers are owned by individuals. Owners of the trailers pay lot rent to the county which includes utilities and maintenance of the lots (lawn mowing, tree limb removal, etc.). The lot rent is based on the size of the trailer, Snelling said, and averages to be $698 per year.
"We're between a hard spot and a rock because of zoning," Snelling said. "If trailers are moved out, they're not allowed anywhere in the county or in surrounding counties because of zoning regulations."
Currently there are no empty lots. When owners of trailers want to sell, there are buyers waiting to purchase.
"Nobody's lost money," Snelling said.
"We outlawed these type of trailers for a reason," Holub said, "because they kill people. It's not a good idea to have a whole area of these."
He continued that utility services for campers could generate more revenue than these trailers.
"We wouldn't be full," Snelling said, because there's not as much demand.
Holub said he has noticed some of the trailers are showing some wear.
"The fire hazard has bugged me to death," he said. "Some trailers are not in good condition even though owners are there only 30 days out of the year."
Snelling said that trailers 50 years old have to be removed from the park and some are getting close to that age.
"There's no easy way to fix it," Snelling said, adding that 43 percent of his total budget comes from the trailer park income. He noted that the number of camping trailers has decreased since fuel prices have increased.
"People are tired of pulling trailers," Holub said, and that's why the county should consider cabins.
"Little cabins would go over," Snelling responded but clarified that the county lake caters to the average families.
Holub said most campers who use the local facility probably couldn't afford a cabin for a year but could for a weekend.
For now, Holub said the county should consider lot increases of $100 per month and charge extra for boat storage. Commissioner Bob Hein agreed. He wanted to wait until commissioner Randy Dallke was in attendance to finalize the increases.
Later in the meeting, Marion County Improvement District #2 Director Dan Crumrine agreed to provide information regarding a possible sewer and water charge adjustment for the trailer park.
In other department business:
— The swimming dock at the swimming area is unsafe, Snelling said. He suggested the dock be removed right now while the water level was lower.
Snelling also suggested the county purchase a new dock which would be similar to the new boat dock recently installed.
The material comes in 80-inch wide-by-10-foot-long pieces at an approximate cost of $1,500 per piece. Snelling thought four pieces would be sufficient. A boarding ramp also would be needed.
The commission instructed Snelling to get a firm bid and report at a future meeting.
Snelling advised the commission that he had spent 83 percent of his budget but was anticipating a "sizable" tractor repair bill and needed to have tree limbs professionally cut and removed from the trailer park.
