It s Time To Get Inspired!

Transcription

1 TACO ews Promoting RV Travel & Camping in Texas Spring It s Time To Get Inspired! Come Hear Craig Dietz talk about Redefining Potential! Despite being born without limbs, Craig Dietz lives life to the fullest bowling, skiing, playing volleyball, hunting, fishing, jamming on his drums and his biggest passion is swimming. Come hear Craig s story of perseverance and overcoming life s many challenges, as told from his unique perspective TACO SPRING MEETING & TRADE SHOW April 26-28, 2015 Guadalupe River RV Resort Kerrville, TX Early Bird Registrations Already Coming In Save $$$! THIS IS NO ORDINARY CAMPGROUND CONVENTION! Winery Tour Park Tour Governor s Office on Economic Development & Tourism Unique Vendors Amazing Speakers TEXAS You just have to be there! CAMPGROUNDS

2 V V Consider the Many Benefits of being a TACO Member! The RV Travel & Camping Guide to Texas TexasCampgrounds.com AccessCamping.com TexasCabinRentals.net 2 H TACO NEWS WINTER H STATE DIRECTORY The RV Travel & Camping Guide to Texas is the #1 preferred camping guide in Texas according to an independent nationwide survey by Yesawich & Associates. The TACO guide is the most widely distributed directory in the state which is critical since many parks are reporting that 60-70% of their business is coming from within the state. Also found was the fact that RVers are taking shorter trips closer to home (Stay-cations!) which makes it more critical than ever to have your display ad in the TACO guide. The entire guide is online at the State Website. STATE WEBSITE The #1 camping website in Texas is TexasCampgrounds.com. This site has experienced unprecedented 20% monthover-month growth. The site presents TACO member parks with complete listings and banner advertisment to help travelers plan their trips and see all the amazing events that the Lone Star state has to offer. For parks that actively use Google analytics to see where their website traffic is being generated, TexasCampgrounds.com always appears in the Top Ten referring sites! The site also features a robust Guest Reviews program that allows members to get direct feedback from their customers. LODGING WEBSITE TexasCabinRentals.net is a rapidly growing site where TACO members can have a full park listing and banner advertisment to promote rental accommodations. CO-OP MARKETING PROGRAMS The association offers a wide variety of cooperative efforts for parks to target their message. This includes mailing park literature weekly with the TACO Guide fulfillment requests. Handing out park literature at RV shows and listing parks in quarterly e-blasts to consumers. We also provide free social media set up for your website. TACO LEGISLATION / GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS One of the most important features to being a TACO member is being a part of the ongoing battles to protect RV park owners and operators. Not only does TACO have an attorney to advise TACO members on specific issues but a legislative consultant in Austin who keeps his ear to the ground at all times. This includes introducing key legislation to enumerate parks in the penal code. Such was the case with the Theft of Services bill and the recently passed Trespass bill. These key pieces of legislation allow parks to more effectively run their businesses. TACO efforts were vital in getting a later school start date passed in the Texas legislature. This extended the camping season for many parks that experienced significant increase in their end of summer business. TACO worked directly with the state comptroller to implement a set of forms to allow parks to seek refunds of utility sales tax on usage by monthly guests. Many TACO members have gotten back thousands of dollars with the largest refund check to date being $42,000! TACO is spearheading an effort to get better pricing on signs offered through TXDOT and its contractors. In addition, TACO has preserved the blue camping signs in many areas. ALL of this is to the benefit of the camping public and TACO members. STATE SHOWS TACO offers a wide variety of opportunities for members to broaden their industry education and sharpen their park operations.

3 The association hosts the largest industry trade show in the Southwest every spring. In addition to money-saving vendor opportunities, park owners can attend a wide variety of educational classes to gain the latest insight to the industry. In the fall, the association hosts a Parks on Tour that allows park owners to visit other parks and see how their fellow park operators are handling day-to-day operations and what plans they have for the future. TACO maintains a member s only website located at where parks can find numerous vendors that specialize in the campground industry. The savings offered by these industry specific companies can more than pay for the cost of membership in the association. On TACOMembers.com there is a password protected area where members can obtain legal forms such as monthly guest applications, monthly guest agreements, typical park rules, etc. This tool and the information it offers can be invaluable in running a campground. KEEPING IN TOUCH WITH MEMBERS The TACO office understands the challenges that face park operators today in delivering a quality experience. When park operators in Texas have a question they can always call the state office and get a response. Over the course of a year the TACO office gets hundreds of calls from members TEXAS with questions ranging from park rule violations, to non-payment, to work-camper issues, to marketing concerns and all points in between. Texas is known for its greatest export hospitality. Because of constant communication with other park owners and extensive research, the TACO office is able to provide answers to member questions. A great source of communication is TACO News. This quarterly publication features insightful articles, trade member information and spotlight write ups. Industry news is disseminated on a timely basis through this publication and also through monthly member e-blasts. TACO staff is readily available at spring and fall conferences, state RV shows, by and phone calls to the office. ADDITIONAL MARKETING OPPORTUNITIES For a small fee we have additional marketing opportunities such as displaying ads in the RV Travel and Camping Guide to Texas. Banner ads on TexasCampgrounds.com; and Featuring park status on quarterly consumer blasts regarding TexasCampgrounds.com. Various TACO member discounts from TACO trade members, which are located on the TACOMembers.com website. CAMPGROUNDS EDITOR: MICHAEL MOORE ARTWORK: DIANA MASK DISTRIBUTION: TACO MEMBERS, TACO TRADE MEMBERS, TACO PROSPECTIVE MEMBERS CONTACT: 910 S. CROWLEY RD, STE CROWLEY, TX TACO Officers & Directors Regional Directors Region 1 Lee Brown Spring Creek Marina & RV Park San Angelo, Texas Region 2, Treasurer Jacque Calverly Texan RV Ranch Arlington, TX Region 3, Secretary Terry Munoz Thousand Trails Lake Conroe, Texas Region 4, Past President Doug Shearer Parkview Riverside RV Park Rio Frio, Texas Region 5, 1st Vice President Gwen Craig Rayford Crossing RV Resort Spring, TX Region 6 Ed Welliver Oleander Acres Mission, TX Region 7 Cheryl McLaughlin Hatch RV Park Corpus Christi, Texas Directors At Large Director, President Don Temple Guadalupe River RV Resort Kerrville, Texas Director At Large Bryan Kastleman Hill Country RV Resort New Braunfels, Texas Director At Large Earline Lund Forest Retreat Woodbridge, CA Executive Director/CEO Brian Schaeffer TACO Office Crowley, Texas Legislative Ron Hinkle Legal Cobb and Counsel H TACOMEMBERS.COM H 3

4 V V Legislative Update AUSTIN The Texas Legislature is almost over the half-way mark of the 140-day Legislative session. To date, 1791 Senate bills have been filed and 3925 House bills have been filed. This up from the last legislative report where 857 bills were filed in the Texas Senate and 2108 bills were filed in the Texas House. The deadline for having bills filed is at 5pm, Friday, March 13, It is expected with this extraordinary amount of bills filed that it could surpass over 6,000 bills, not counting resolutions. Committees have been active and bills are beginning to get scheduled for long hearings. The two budget committees, Senate Finance and House Appropriations, had been concluding their hearings on state agency budgets. The House Appropriations committee finalized their budget version this week and plans to vote the final House version of the budget next week. In the House version there is an additional $2.2 billion for public schools and $1.5 billion for transportation. There is no tax relief amount in the House budget but those tax cuts will be decided in the House Ways & Means Committee and plugged into the House budget version later. The Senate will be wrapping up its hearing soon. TACO will continue to work to get a committee hearing on the bill and ask as many TACO members as possible to come and testify in favor of the house bill. TACO had its bill filed that creates NFPA-1194 standards for RV Park expansion and construction. The bill is HB 3266 by Rep. Guillen, D-Rio Grande City. Rep. Guillen is a big supporter of the RV Park and tourism industry. Rep. Guillen also chairs the House Culture, Recreation and Tourism Committee. This has been an important committee in looking into legislation and shaping policies for the Texas tourism industry. TACO is appreciative and thankful for an experienced legislator like Chairman Guillen to see the benefit of seeking legislation to assist the RV Park Industry. TACO will continue to work to get a committee hearing on the bill and ask as many TACO members as TACO Board Member Cheryl and Michael from Hatch RV Park with Representative Todd Hunter possible to come and testify in favor of the house bill. This will encourage Chairman Guillen that he is doing a huge favor for our industry but also give strong voice to the Legislature about the importance of the future of TACO and the RV Park industry overall. TACO will provide timely reports and notification on the committee hearing so TACO members can have time to plan to come to Austin for testimony in the committee. In other overall tourism industry news, there have been some important bills filed that would significantly change how school calendars operate, but, more importantly, how schools instructional days are to be changed. Two bills, HB 2610 by Rep. Ken King, R-Canadian, relating to the minimum number of minutes of instruction for students to be provided by a school district and the scheduling of the last day of school for students by schools districts, and SB 1578 by Sen. Lucio, D-Brownsville, relating to the first and last day of instruction and the number of hours in a school day on a public school. These two bills will provide greater flexibility and local control for school superintendents to devise their school calendar with the goal of ensuring calendars and schools days reflect the important need of the education and excelled learning of the student. With graduation rates in flux in some parts of the state and the need to ensure Texas future has the kind of educated students necessary for college or technical school these types of important educational efforts like longer school times are more important than ever. 4 H TACO NEWS WINTER H

5 Gain the advantage with AGS for your RV Park or Campground. Customer Service The AGS Advantage Timely and superior customer service Other Site Map Providers: Long delivery times, print mistakes and more excuses! You all have been so friendly and patient with us, you are at the top of our list for advertising needs =) ~ Harbor Village Resort Benefits and Perks Wallboards, Counter Pads, Phone Directories and more - Standard with every Guest Guide Only a map (ad sheet) and a banner. Little-to-no area promotion We are Happy Happy Happy at BLRV with our new Guest Services Guides, wall board with advertisers info and the rules you have printed for us. Thank you so much. We love working with AGS for all our products and business needs. ~ Braunig Lake RV Resort Business Investments Investing up to $500 in your business as a thank you for being a customer Invests nothing in your business I like the new Loyalty Cash. I ordered another $750 worth of merchandise! ~ Washington DC / Capitol KOA Product Variety Myriad of customer print formats and sizes to promote the area and businesses This is our best site map to date in terms of advertisers, layout, and information given to the customers! Way to go! ~ River s End Campground Ad sheets with a map no area information or reasons for guest to return or stay longer Mobile App Web Analytics Print / Paper Quality A mobile app enhances your guests experience through local deals More referrals to your website through higher rankings on your web analytics through AccessCamping.com Google Analytics don t lie! Professional Design and Printed on 80#-100# coated paper stock Nothing that enhances the guest s experience Few to no referrals with low ranking on your web analytics Design and printing errors on 70# or less, weight paper 10% of our business goes to multiple charities and the glory goes to God! With the AGS advantage, You and Your Park Can make a Positive Difference for Your Guests S. Crowley Rd Suite Crowley, TX F: info@agspub.com I m so glad I switched to AGS from another site map company. I ve gotten more from my package with them than I ever thought I would! ~ Joe Moore, Vineyards Campground H TACOMEMBERS.COM H 5

6 You can not afford to miss the 2015 TACO Spring Meeting! What is your potential? Our keynote speaker, Craig Dietz, without arms and legs, will inspire you to live life to the fullest. Like Craig, you can seek out new opportunities to challenge yourself. Craig is currently a licensed attorney who tools around the country in his van pursuing his biggest passion swimming. As an ESPN featured athlete he finished the 4.4 mile Great Chesapeake Bay Swim, the Midmar Mile Swim in South Africa and the 1.5 mile escape from Alcatraz Swim. Want to know how to overcome life s challenges and find your true potential? Listen to Craig Dietz. What a unique perspective! Do What Others Have Done Let s Have Some Fun! How about a Texas Wine Country Tour? On Sunday afternoon we will board a bus from the host park in Kerrville and head for Fredericksburg to visit the Texas Wine Country Jellystone Resort to learn about fabulous Texas wines. YES there is a tasting room! While the caravan is at Yogi s Texas Wine Country Jellystone we will tour this magnificent new facility and chow down on some of Texas Best Bar-B-Que. With live music and the tales of fellow park operators under the setting Texas sun, you can t possibly go wrong! Follow the crowd! Send in your registration NOW! Look What s Included! Registration fees include meals (2 breakfasts, 2 lunches & 2 dinners), coffee breaks, social mixers, CPO classes, the trade show, wine country and park tour, special entertainment, the auction and mega raffle entries. Plus some amazing opportunities to network with successful park operators! 6 H TACO NEWS WINTER H Registration Fees Per Person Early Registration (By 4/1/15) Member $ Non-Member $ After 4/1/15 or at Convention Member $ Non-Member $350.00

7 What Else Park Operators Want to Know! You need an ADA plan how do you do it? The Founder and CEO of RVing Accessibility Group, Mark Douglass has over 16 years experience as an avid RVer who has learned how to use his physical disability and accessibility training to help educate the outdoor recreation industry on how to work toward ADA compliance for the enjoyment of ALL persons, regardless of age, injury or illness. RVing Accessibility Group also researches campgrounds that can provide a level of accessibility that can be published for the disabled community as a resource for their adventures. Texas It s Like a Whole Other Country The Governor s Office of Economic Development & Tourism is a really big deal. Nate Gieryn will be on hand to show you how they sell Texas. During this session you will learn about the millions of dollars spent on promoting travel to and within Texas. You will see how your presence on TexasCampgrounds.com is connected. Want to know where your state stacks up in comparison to other Sunbelt states and how it affects your own marketing come and see! Where you are dropping the ball on marketing and PR LET S FIX IT! Jeff Crider, TACO s publicist, will discuss good things and bad things he has observed in campgrounds, RV parks and resorts from a marketing perspective. Jeff will also give you the basics on what your marketing and PR strategy should be focusing on and how to incorporate your marketing, PR and social media strategies into a comprehensive plan. If you do the same old things you will get the same old results let Jeff show you how to shake it up! Using Your Association A Review & Preview From marketing to public relations to legal and government affairs TACO has been very busy and will be even busier in the future promoting and protecting your business interests. You need to know what has occurred in our industry and what we anticipate affecting your business. Whether you are an old hand or a new comer this is where you gain the knowledge to improve your business and stay on the cutting edge. Managing Your Online Reputation In this electronic age where everyone from grandkids to grandma s have smart phones and tablets you have to know what is being said about you online. This can literally make or break your business. Guest Rated was founded by Bob MacKinnon, a former Walt Disney Co. executive who spent over 30 years in resort management. He uses guest satisfaction surveys to develop operating standards and improve park facilities and services at campgrounds across the US and Canada. Let Bob show you how to protect and enhance your online reputation. The Valuable Information & Fun Never Stops at the Spring Meeting! Guadalupe River RV Resort 2605 Junction Hwy. Kerrville, Texas Reservations: RV SITES Bring your rig and see why this fabulous resort boasts high ratings. Sites have cable TV, Wi-Fi & instant phone. TACO discount rate is $30.00 per night. COTTAGES Guadalupe River RV Resort has 1-bedroom ($79.00) & 2-bedroom units ($99.00) that are a real treat. If they are full, the 5-star Inn of the Hills is highly recommended. TACO discount rates on cottages is per night reserve by April 10, Convention Lodging Inn of the Hills Resort & Conference Center 1001 Junction Hwy. Kerrville, Texas Reservations: HOTEL ROOMS This magnificent 5-star facility is Hill County elegance at its best. Amenities include the beautiful Conference Center hosting the TACO Trade Show. TACO s discount rate is $94.00 single or double. To get the discount rate, make your reservation by April 10, 2015 and tell them you are part of the TACO convention. H TACOMEMBERS.COM H 7

8 Blue Bridge Partners with Athens Park Homes Buffalo, New York - February 17, 2015 Blue Bridge Equipment Finance, a leading national provider of specialized commercial financing services, is proud to be the preferred financing provider for Athens Park Homes; a quality builder of Park Model RV s and Cabins. Athens Park Homes is a Champion Home Builders company with seven park model RV manufacturing plants throughout the U.S. Through this partnership, campground owners can purchase and obtain financing in one seamless process as they expand or upgrade their property. I believe most all campground owners now know the value of adding rental cabins in their campgrounds, said Dick Grymonprez, Director of Park Model RV Sales for Champion. Not only is it a great source of revenue, but it opens up their campground to a whole new customer. Financing has always been difficult to obtain for campground and resort owners wanting to take advantage of this destination camping trend. Many campground owners are trying to find financing through a local bank or their credit union, Tabco Services Acquires Future Vision Cable Inc. but often don t have a lot of success through these traditional lenders, stated Jim Hofbauer, Director of Manufactured Housing & Park Model Finance. Blue Bridge has very competitive interest rates with terms up to 60 months. They will also advance the invoice plus 20% for qualified add-ons. New to the program will be up to 3 months of skip payments based on your parks cash flow models, said Hofbauer. We know that in some markets the rental business can be seasonal so we want to help the campground owner during times when their rentals may be slower. A typical Athens Park Model RV can be built within 4 to 6 weeks and the peak rental season is approaching quickly. For more information on Blue Bridge Financing contact Jim Hofbauer at jhofbauer@ bbfequipmentfinance.com. For more information on Athens Park Homes contact Dick Grymonprez at dgrymonprez@championhomes.com or view park model RV s at On January 1, 2015 Tabco Services, LLC, dba Coba Systems, a leading provider in small platform cablw television, broadband and wireless internet acquired Future Vision Cable Inc. The purchase of Future Cable Vision Inc. in Mission, Texas further increases our market share by over 3,000 homes passed. Coba Systems for the near future will work with existing staff and billing to allow for an integration of Future Cable Vision customers into our billing and support systems. The continued support shows both company s desire to make the transition as error free as possible, stated Mr. Bruce Bridgewater, President of Tabco Services, LLC. Mr. Bridgewater and supporting technical staff also announced that over the next year Coba Systems will continue to upgrade the existing outdoor cable plant to a full 1Ghz system allowing for further channel additions, higher sustained Internet service and VOIP services. Rick Martin/Future Cable Vision DBA RAM Investments would like to Thank ALL our past customers for all their loyal support and patronage over the past 25 years. I believe Coba Systems will follow thru with the upgrade they have listed. God Bless everyone and once again THANK YOU all past Future Cable Vision customers. Founded in 2002 Coba Systems, along with Coba Internet com provides Microwave communications, Cable Television and WiFi systems for the past 13 years servicing over 72,000 users in the RV, Hospitality, Energy Production industries as well as Local and Federal Governments. For more information please contact: Coba Systems, 5111 N 10th Street #334, McAllen, TX 78504, , inforequest@ cobasystems.net. 8 H TACO NEWS WINTER H

9 V V Remember to call a TACO Member first! Visit TACOMembers.com and click on the Suppliers tab! AGS PUBLISHING MICHAEL MOORE Crowley, TX Guest guides, site maps and printing ARK ASSURANCE GROUP GARY PRICE Tyler, TX Property & liability insurance ATLANTIC SERVICE & SUPPLY TIM RUTLEDGE Richland Hills, TX Air Conditioning & Heating B&B ELECTRICAL MATT LINNELL Keego Harbor, MI RV pedestals and distribution equip BAEHRE REAL ESTATE RUSSELL BAEHRE Kerrville, TX RV park real estate CAMCO TOMMY DOYLE Greensboro, NC Cg store display & merchandise CAVCO PARK MODELS & CABINS TIM GAGE Phoenix, AZ Park model manufacturer CHAMPION ATHENS PARK HOMES DICK GRYMONPREZ Athens, TX Quality park model builder COBA SYSTEMS BRUCE BRIDGEWATER McAllen, TX Wi-Fi services & private cable COINMACH SERVICES SAM SOLES Corpus Christi, TX Laundry machines DIAMOND PARK HOMES SHAWN BALLARD Alba, TX Park Model Manufacturer DIGITALWAY SERVICES TIM MURRY Springtown, TX Wi-Fi and Cable System Design GERBER MANUFACTURING JEFF URSO Madison, WI Picnic tables, benches, etc. GOOD SAM RV TRAVEL GUIDE DAWN WATANABE Ventura, CA National Campground Directory GUEST REVIEWS BOB MACKINNON Murietta, CA Online guest rating system HIGHLAND PRODUCTS GROUP TRECIA DEMBY Boca Raton, FL Cg picnic tables, grills, fire rings HORIZON RV RESORTS RANDY HENDRICKSON Westlake Village, CA Property mgmt, acquisitions KAMPGROUNDS OF AMERICA CHRIS FAIRLEE Billings, MT Franchisor of KOA s LEISURE SYSTEMS INC. DAN O CONNELL Milford, OH Franchisor Yogi Bear s Jellystone ww.jellystonefranchise.com MAXIMUM BUSINESS BROKERS JERREL SCHORR Houston, TX Brokerage, RV parks in Texas only Selling business since 1995 MISSION MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEMS INC. PETER KEARNS Software, online reservations MOORE S CAMPGROUND CONSULTING JOE MOORE COLLEYVILLE, TX Professional Campground Assessment PHILADELPHIA INSURANCE LANCE GOFF Addison, TX RV park insurance services PINNACLE PARK HOMES ANDY DAVIS Ochlocknee, GA Park model homes & cabins PLATINUM COTTAGES DE-ANN AMES Malakoff, TX park model manufacturer PPL MOTOR HOMES DIANA LEBLANC Houston, TX RV consignment dealer RED ROVER CAMPING ROBERT BOUSE Southern Pines, NC New customer delivery service RMS NORTH AMERICA DAVID JONES La Jolla, CA Front office & online reservations ROWLEY INSURANCE KEN ROWLEY Austin, TX RV park insurance services SOUTHEAST PUBLICATIONS BRIAN MCGUINN Plantation, FL Guest Guides, Printing & Marketing STAG PARKWAY CRAIG MELLOR Arlington, TX Wholesale parts & distribution TENGO INTERNET ERIC STUMBERG Austin, TX Wireless internet provider TRVA RIO GRANDE VALLEY CHAPTER LINN BACKUS Alamo, TX TRVA Chapter for Rio Grande Valley TXAD INTERNET SERVICES MICHAEL MOORE Crowley, TX Website design, hosting, & marketing TEXEN POWER CO. TOM STUBBLEFIELD Houston, TX Electricity savings & audits UTILITY SUPPLY GROUP WADE ELLIOT Preston, WA RV park utility products WELCOME HOME RIO GRANDE VALLEY KRISTI COLLIER McAllen, TX Rio Grande Valley Vacation Destination YOUR ELECTRICAL SOLUTIONS MARGARET LINNELL Lake Orion, MI RV site power panels, electric meters Be sure & visit the members websites for more information! TACO TRADE TACOMEMBERS.COM H TACOMEMBERS.COM H 9

10 HUD Indefinitely Delays Enforcement of Park Model RV Porch Restrictions 10 H TACO NEWS WINTER H In a Memorandum dated January 20, 2015, HUD Administrator Pamela Beck Danner announced that HUD will not be enforcing its interpretation that park model RV porches count toward the 400 square foot limit (as measured) on those types of RVs until new regulations defining RVs are published, which is something that likely will not occur for many months. This memorandum supersedes a Memorandum that Administrator Danner promulgated on October 1, That Memorandum sought to clarify the measuring process for park model RVs, stating that factory-built porches do count toward the 400 square foot park model RV limit and that HUD would enforce to this measurement criteria starting on April 1, However, on December 2, 2014, the Manufactured Housing Consensus Committee (MHCC) recommended that HUD further delay enforcement to this measurement criterion until new rules are published, which better and more clearly define today s RVs. By this most recent Memorandum, HUD has accepted that MHCC recommendation, making the April 1, 2015 deadline for park model RVs moot. The issue was placed on the MHCC s agenda as a direct result of the political pressure from the campground industry which mobilized park owners across the United States to write to their Members of Congress to support HR 5658, The Recreational Vehicle Certainty Act, and to ask for a grandfather provision for park models already in campgrounds, said Paul Bambei, ARVC president and CEO. Our members embraced our call to action and played a major role in HUD s latest memorandum. In total, nearly 800 park owners sent approximately 2700 electronic letters to 335 Members of Congress in the ARVC grassroots campaign for park owners. At that same meeting, the MHCC also recommended specific language to more clearly define RVs that are exempt from HUD s manufactured housing standards. That language referred to the NFPA and ANSI standards to which RVs are built as defining them as RVs, rather than a complicated set of criteria that includes specific square footage requirements and tow vehicle restrictions. While it remains to be seen how HUD will handle the new RV definition recommendation, park model manufacturers and especially RV campgrounds can rest assured that, for now, porches on the chassis will not be counted toward the 400 square foot limit on park model RVs, said Jeff Sims, director of state relations and program advocacy for ARVC, the National Association of RV Parks and Campgrounds. The park model RVs that are in campgrounds today and the park model RVs they buy tomorrow can have porches that do not count toward the size limit. This also means no state or local regulators should have issues with park model RV porches either. ARVC, RVDA and RVIA have closely coordinated efforts since the October 1 Memorandum created a great deal of uncertainty for the RV and campground industries, said Matt Wald, RVIA executive director of Park Model RVs. We are extremely grateful to Administrator Danner as well as the MHCC for taking the time to understand the RV and campground industry s perspective on this issue and working with us toward a consensus outcome where RVs are clearly defined as recreational units and manufactured housing is clearly defined as housing in a way that everyone knows exactly where the line between them is. We look forward to finalizing that consensus process in the coming months.

11 RV & Mobile Home Parks Still Full Despite Slowdown By Rye Druzin Midland Reporter-Telegram The RV and mobile home parks which accommodate those unable to find permanent homes in Midland s fierce housing market are still full despite the drop in the price of oil. Managers and owners of RV and mobile home parks have said that their properties have remained rented despite eight months of falling oil prices and budget cuts in the oil industry. Tanya Howell of Howell s RV Park said that, out of 40 spots, five were vacant for three weeks. She rented them at the end of February. I was getting very worried because I thought, Oh, my goodness, this is not good, and I thought it would be worse than just five spots, she said. The RV park is a secondary business for Howell and her husband to provide additional income for their children. She said that while the RV park is back to full capacity, at a certain point the business will become unaffordable. If we get to 50 percent occupancy... it would be pointless to have (the park) anymore. Howell said. Chase Gardaphe, owner of the 171-unit Stonegate Manufactured Housing Community off North Fairgrounds Road, said his lots are not only full, but are still in high demand. The third-generation manufactured housing manager said Stonegate opened in January 2014 and filled up in about five months. He hasn t seen any effect on his community from the slowdown in the oil industry and said that 95 percent of his tenants own the manufactured homes they live in. We ve only had a couple of people that have moved out, but all of that was prior to oil and gas, the pricing going down, Gardaphe said. We had The TACO guide at a Louisiana RV Show Passing out the TACO guide at the Houston RV Show one guy transfer to East Texas, but it wasn t that they (were) shutting down their Midland office. Gardaphe said he is planning a new community that will be bigger than the current one. He maintains that no matter the economic situation, housing is still being sought. Regardless of what happens, there s still going to be and will always be a demand for affordable housing that is nicer than you d expect, he said. Kelly Autry told a similar story from his place as manager of the Airline Mobile Home Park near Midland International Air & Space Port. He said he currently is 99 percent full. But despite the high occupancy rate, Autry said phone calls from potential renters have dropped off in the last few months. You don t know month to month how that s going to be, especially for the RVs because they are more of a temporary situation, he said. H TACOMEMBERS.COM H 11

12 Visit TexasCampgrounds.com today! Make sure your information is current! Do you want to show higher on Google rankings? Advertise in the TACO Guide Today! Improve Your Bottom Line with the OFFICIAL RV Travel Guide to Texas! Media Kit Contact us for your FREE SEO report today! TXADInternet.com Reach Millions of RVers! Call From Online to On-The-Go! Official RV Travel & Camping Guide to Texas Official TexasCampgrounds.com website TexasCabinRentals.net Best of all marketing programs not found anywhere else (not even Good Sam!) TACOGuideMediaKit.com