RV parks call new rule 'unjust'

MAT-SU -- There aren't any regulations in Mat-Su Borough code that pertain directly to RV-park operations, but an interpretation of borough codes pertaining to mobile-home parks is causing some concern among borough campground owners.

This is the second year RV-park owners have received a notice from the Mat-Su Borough stating campgrounds are closed to tenants wishing to stay longer than 29 days, and several are joining together to protest the change.

The change, according to Mat-Su Borough Chief Code Compliance Officer Ken Hudson, isn't so much a change as an enforcement of what's already in borough code.

In the borough's mobile-home-park ordinance, the definition of mobile-home parks excludes "camper parks in which travel trailers are permitted for temporary occupancy of less than 30 days."

"So, if you want to have campers parked more than 30 days, they need to obtain a conditional-use permit," Hudson said.

Hudson said he's occasionally heard complaints from people about long-term tenants at RV parks, but said the letter sent out to campground owners was simply an annual reminder of the provision.

The letter sent this year indicated that the borough administration has adopted a policy to allow tenancy of longer than 29 days during summer months, but the 29-day maximum would be enforced during the winter months.

Heidi Boyd, Alaska Campground Owners Association administrator, said she brought up the issue in recent meetings of the National Association of RV Parks and Campgrounds' Executive Committee, and is compiling information to add to a resolution ACOA plans to present at an upcoming public workshop on the topic that was scheduled by borough staff.

Boyd said the association plans to take a strong stand against enforcement of the rule -- not just for campground operators, but on behalf of tourist-related businesses across the borough.

"It's really going to impact the local business there," Boyd said. "Most of the people who come up are coming up for a period of time to stay and they utilize all the businesses in the Mat-Su area. Tell someone who's planning a two-month trip up to Alaska, who comes up in a very expensive motor home, 'Oh, I'm sorry, you can only stay 29 days.' It's really going to be devastating."

"They're really not using their heads as well as they should have," said Nyoka Morris, who, with her husband, Malcolm, has operated Iceworm RV Park since 1997. "We had people from 12 or 13 different countries, and 40 of 50 states here … They spend a lot of money here, even if they did end up just in an RV park."

The Morrises met with several other RV park owners Wednesday to discuss their strategy for a public meeting scheduled for 2:30 p.m. Dec. 10 at the borough building in Palmer. They've also called numerous other park owners to alert them to the proposal.

It's not the first time RV-park owners have received a letter from borough staff pointing out the 29-day rule, but Morris said more park owners are getting involved this year and some, like David Uphus, who owns Town and Country RV Park outside Palmer, are taking the letter more seriously.

"I had quite a few people wanting to stay through the winter but, because of the new code-compliance issue, I've been asking them not to," Uphus said.

Uphus said he received a similar letter previously, but no enforcement followed the letter, so he allowed tenants to winter over at his park.

This year, he said, the letter spelled out the fines that would be charged those who allow tenants to stay longer than 29 days -- $300 per day, per occupant.

During a season when it's tough to bring in enough to pay the bills anyway, Uphus said, he didn't feel he could risk that added cost.

Although many, like Uphus and Morris, get into the campground business because they themselves like traveling or because they enjoy meeting people from around the world, operating the business is sometimes more difficult than it appears.

Alan Butts, owner of Fox Run RV Park, said he, too, got into the business because he enjoyed people, but finds it more difficult than he thought it would be.

"RV parks don't make a lot of money," Butts said. "There's not a lot of money in this business because the season is just too darn short."

Sewer and potable water must be provided, all of which involves regular testing, and although electrical costs diminish in the winter when the parks are empty, other things, such as borough property taxes (assessed on a per-space basis) and mortgage payments, don't go away.

"We know it takes six people in our park to be able to take care of expenses," Morris said. The number of filled spaces needed to keep a park solvent varies with several factors; for Uphus, it's nine.

Both said without winter tenants, it's very difficult to make the business work. "We've got three [occupants] in our park and we're living on our savings already," Morris said.

Morris said there's a range of reasons people stay in RV parks for longer than 29 days, or during part of the winter.

People whose vehicles need repair, people who are in the process of relocating but haven't found suitable housing, people whose homes are under construction, people who are in the state on temporary jobs such as construction or guiding are all people whose stay may begin prior to or extend beyond the summer months and could last longer than 29 days.

Butts said many factors make running an RV park difficult. Adding another stressor, he said, will likely mean several local campgrounds will have to close.

And Boyd said that will send ripples through other Valley businesses, from those that cater to tourists to those, like grocery stores or retail shops, that don't.

She said several tourist-related organizations have indicated they'll support ACOA in a fight to limit campground stays. She's hoping it doesn't come to that.

"They'd be not only shutting down those small businesses, but they'd be losing a lot of money from the tourism industry, and getting a reputation that [motor-home travelers would say] 'Don't bother traveling to the Mat-Su Borough because they don't want us.'

The camping part of the tourism industry is so word-of-mouth, it will get out to every RV publication and Web site that the Mat-Su Borough doesn't want them."

Hudson said the borough isn't looking for a fight -- the workshop and the proposed enforcement change hasn't been finalized yet.

"We'll take the proceeds of the meeting and present them to the planning commission and the Assembly. Right now, this is simply a fact-finding process," Hudson said. "Tourism is a big deal out here and we want to encourage it."

Contact Rindi White at rindi.white@frontiersman.com.