Creating a Lake

[Bird]

Eddie, we've all talked a great deal about what facilities you should have in your RV park, but another thing I assume you are planning is an Internet website. I guess a website is becoming almost mandatory for any business of any size. I just learned that the I-35 RV Park now has a website. The bottom two lines about RV repairs and specialist on site are about my brother. One brother lives alone in a motorhome there year round and does a good business, both in the park and in the surrounding area. The other brother, who used to be in that business, and his wife live there during the winter in a fifth-wheel and pull the fifth-wheel to Ellensburg, WA, for the summer. Of course during the winter, he helps a bit with the RV repairs. Those two are always either working on RVs or golfing.

 

[ding2520]

Eddie, is the lake finished? If so, do you have any updated photos? All I can say is "WOW" what a project!

 

[EddieWalker]

Pat,

Sorry, I never ment to compare grass for waling on and covering my dam with grass to raise livestock with. There will never be any livestock on the dam, nor anywhere near it. I just want it to be nice looking and green for most of the year. The cheaper and easier to maintain, the better. hahaha

Bird,

A few years ago when I filed for the LLC with the State of Texas, I bought the rights to wildkingdomrvpark.com

I'm not hosting it or doing anything with it, but when I get some idea of an opening date, then I'll probably start a thread on the merits of creating my own site, which software to use, versus hiring it out and finding some recomendations on who to use.

The fear I have with an onsight mechanic is how his service will reflect on the Park. If he does one 99 repairs perfecty, but messes up on one, that's all I'll hear about. Word of mouth is such a powerful resource in this that I'm afraid the liability of a bad repair, or an unhappy client will cost me more in lost revenue than it would provide.

I'm leaning towards haveing a list of local mechanics available to guests and letting them decide. Maybe even let them leave comments on how it worked out for them. Or just have a Yellow Pages available for them and put the entire issue on there heads.

As you know, my parents have an RV, and they are constant headaches. It's usually something small and annoying, but whatever it is, it's a problem and if anybody gets involved with trying to solve that problem and fails, then they become part of the problem too.

Ding,

Nothing new. The lake is down an inch and I'm not sure why that is. I'm assuming it's normal evaporation, but there is always the fear of a leak. One inch over 4 acres is allot of water. It's also been several weeks since we had any real rain and it's too new for me to be able to understand what's going on.

I did see a wild hog walk by it yesterday at 2pm while I was dragging a tree to my burn pile. That was a suprise!!!

Thanks,
Eddie

 

[k6dyc]

... I bought the rights to wildkingdomrvpark.com I'm not hosting it or doing anything with it, but when I get some idea of an opening date, then I'll probably start a thread...

Great! I'll then be able to pay back some of the insightful help I've received from you and others. I've been in the web/online industry since '82 and would love to participate in the online aspect of your park. Your domain expires in June of 2011 so you better get with it!

 

[Bird]

Word of mouth is such a powerful resource

Yep, it really is, and it works both ways. I can understand your concern and if you had someone on site, I think I'd want to be sure I had some kind of disclaimer if I were you. However, word of mouth brings people, even from out-of-state, who come to the I-35 RV Park just so my brother can work on their RV, and of course he guarantees his work. So the owners of the park have been happy with the arrangement for several years.

The Irving View RV Park on North Beltline Road in Irving has signs everywhere advertising their RV repair service. Unless something's changed recently, a woman manages the park and her husband is in the RV repair business, both on site and off site. He has a van for a shop, while my brother has a pickup with tool boxes and ladder rack.

So, while I think you're right in being concerned about any liability or negative word of mouth publicity, a park with RV service will draw business just for that purpose that you'll miss out on. And the fact is that I don't know which way would gain or lose the most business.

 

[john_bud]

Nothing new. The lake is down an inch and I'm not sure why that is. I'm assuming it's normal evaporation, but there is always the fear of a leak. One inch over 4 acres is allot of water. It's also been several weeks since we had any real rain and it's too new for me to be able to understand what's going on.
Thanks,
Eddie

Eddie,

Here's a simple way to either put your fears to rest or to give you sleepless nights!

Get a 5 gal bucket and weight it down with rocks. Put it in the pond so about 3/4 of it is in the water. Fill the bucket with water to the level of the pond. Mark the level on both sides of the bucket with the date. That way you can compare bucket loss and pond loss. Check it every couple of days. If the water loss is 100% from evaporation, the bucket will be down the exact same amount.


jb

 

[Renze]

Eddie,

I take your water level is elevated above the original soil level. So the chance is big that the weight of the water compresses the soil below, deepening the bottom of the lake.

Over here in Holland, they build roads through bog areas by trucking in thousands of loads of dirt and make a dam over the bog. Within a few years, the dirt pushes the boggy soil away and sinks to solid ground. this is a much more efficient way, because if they dug a foundation in the bog, the bog will close the gap in a matter of days, even before they have the chance to backfill with dirt.

 

[bmac]

However, word of mouth brings people, even from out-of-state, who come to the I-35 RV Park just so my brother can work on their RV, and of course he guarantees his work. So the owners of the park have been happy with the arrangement for several years.

So, Eddie, it seems to me that the solution is for you to hire Bird's brother as your on-site mechanic. This provides service to your guests by someone who you could rely on to do good work. And, it diverts a lot of folks from the I-35 park to your place as they seek the services of this great mechanic. Hopefully, they would stay a few nights at your place in the process. You just have to make him an offer he can't refuse.

 

[Bird]

You just have to make him an offer he can't refuse

I don't think my brother intends to go anywhere as long as he's working. Now Eddie's place is close to an Interstate Highway, but I don't know just how much RV traffic and what type of RV traffic he'll get. Since I-35 is a major route from Mexico to Canada, across the USA, it carries a lot of snowbirds back and forth in the Spring and Fall. Eddie's area may have just as many regulars going back and forth, but I don't know that to be a fact. I do know there's a lot of RV traffic on that road; just don't know where the majority of them are coming from or going to.

 

[ronjhall]

On our way down to Txdon's place last fall. We drove past Eddie's place. Did not even notice it. He needs a sign. Now that I know where it is. I don't know how I missed it. We picked the route because it took us off the main highway and traffic. I do not think Eddie will have any problems attracting people to his place . Easy on/off location.