Good Morning HLCCA
First to expand on my earlier email on the water. Saturday some needed repairs and improvements to the water supply system were able to be completed to enable us to be able to turn the water on once weather permits. While there, seeing how much frost was still evident in the ground and taking the extended forecast into consideration (how about that white Easter), the decision was made to push out turning water on to the weekend of 4/25/20. Again this is a target date. We will keep you posted as to its progress and when it actually is on.
I know some are used to opening sooner but this year we are fighting with a couple of factors, weather and COVID-19.
COVID-19 is the biggest factor in not opening the shower house earlier than water on to the sites. If the shower house were to be open, COVID-19 has made it necessary to enforce routine and extra cleaning of those facilities. To do that we need our staff on site, which they live at campsites, which need to have water. Keep in mind with no functional rest rooms by our licensing we are not an open campground yet.
Once we have water on and functional restrooms there is not a current executive order to keep us from opening on time the beginning of May. The MDH stance so far on private campgrounds and seasonal mobile home parks is as follows:
“The state recognizes that some campers/trailers in campgrounds and seasonal mobile home parks are permanent residences for some individuals, and does not intend to cause harm by evicting them. However, offering sites for recreational purposes is discouraged at this time.”
What I can tell you is we don’t want to be doing things to jeopardize that. With that in mind we are working on a Social Distancing and COVID-19 policy for the campground. You should be seeing that in a couple of weeks.
And in the current “stay at home” executive order 20-33 section 6 Exemptions-critical sectors, jj, Minimum Basic Operations does allow us to mobilize staff to perform tasks to take care of, fix and maintain our campground.
On Saturday, there still was a sheet of ice out in the middle of the lake covering just over a third of the lake. It looked like something that will dissipate in a week or so. That now gives me a better time line to work with Larry to get the docks in. Later this week, once I get him locked in I will confirm with you when the docks are to go in.
After the last update I was asked about WIFI. This is what I can tell you so far. Currently we have an active system waiting to be taken out of vacation mode. The new service got activated 10/13/19 then we put it in vacation mode the next day after testing it out, with the plans of MLEC setting up the mesh network system, that they said they could offer, in the campground right away in the spring. When it first gets turned on reception is limited at this point to up by the house, gathering room and fire pit area.
The problem we have been having is MLEC hasn’t been following up with Jim Apple to well lately, and with every thing going on with the coronavirus at the Mayo Clinic, Jim has been very busy. He actually had a little time recently to follow up with them and talk with the MLEC project manager, who basically told him that MLEC at this time can not offer us the services they first laid out with him last year.
So currently we are seeking bids from outside contractors/businesses that MLEC recommended for setting up a mesh network system. Until the bids come in we don’t know much more. We really were counting on MLEC to follow thru with the service plan they talked about last year and getting it implemented right away this Spring.
Stay Safe
Ed
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