RV park owner seeks year-round permit

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    CASS COUNTY, Nebraska (WOWT) — A private park for recreational vehicles is about to open for the camping season but an owner says its financial survival may depend on a rule change.

The powerful flood of 2019 could have been the tipping point for the owners of Merritt’s Beach but they sunk a half-million dollars into rebuilding.

Mark Boyer, Co-Owner of Merritt’s Beach said, “From the fencing to the electrical to the palatable water that the RVers can drink to the roads to the pad sites.”

To prevent RV porches and sheds from being pushed around by another March flood, a permit requires opening on April 1. On Thursday, the gate will be unlocked and Cass County will allow campers to be pulled in and set up for the summer season.

But come Oct. 1, all will have to be hooked up and hauled back out. That can discourage RV owners from leasing a pad and utility hookup for $3,500 a season.

“It would be a lot easier for us to be on the same playing field with other RV Camps,” said Boyer.

The Cass County Board considered a permit change at Merritt’s Beach that would allow RVs to stay in the winter for storage only.

Cass County Commissioner Janet McCartney said, “But I do not want to see the campers left there.”

Janet agrees with the owner of a small lake property next to Merritt’s Beach.

Neighbor Wes Gradoville said, “And now they want to stay there year-round. I don’t see how in a flood way that’s practical. It’s going to flood again and all the debris and stuff is going to end up on our property.”

“We’re trying to be good neighbors,” said Boyer.

One member absent of the Cass County Board voted 2-2 so a year-round permit is denied. Boyer says he will try again because keeping the RV Park family affordable has been no vacation.

Merrit’s Beach has about 120 spots for RVs and campers. So far, about 90 are leased for the upcoming season, porches and sheds up to a certain size are allowed by the current permit.

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