It's a Crazy Time to Be Alive

As I walk around the park talking with our guests and telling stories (who me) in this most crazy time in our lives, I think about the good things that I have seen this year.  I also think about all the ugly that I have seen this year - but tonight I am going to reflect on the positive because I think if more of us did that we would be in a far better place - of course the ugly does make for some funny stories, but I digress.

This past weekend was a very good one for our business.  Even though we are in the midst of the COVID crisis, people, Americans, still need a way to get our and enjoy, relax and put the troubles in their lives aside.   Our tubing business that is a combination of customers that camp and outside people coming just to tube was busier than ever!  You see, it was very hot and tubing on the West Canada Creek is one way to cool off and enjoy your friends, a cold beverage and good ole Mother Nature.

With the Covid Rules in effect we are only able to transport smaller groups up the river which has led to significantly longer than normal wait times.  I mean, last Saturday, people had to wait up to 3 hours to catch a shuttle up the river.  I am the organizer, I keep things moving, keep it organized and try to keep people patient and happy.  I continuously worked the line, telling people how long it would be, apologizing for the delays - and to my very pleasant surprise I was greeted with nothing but patience and comments to "relax dude its all good" - my favorite saying. 

One of my customers even commented - "Mike, I wait 3 hours for a 90 second roller coaster ride, waiting 2 hours for a four hour tube trip is ok."  Of course, they we all enjoying Adult beverages, so that may have been what kept them all calm and happy.  But I would like to think that it was sense of being outside in the sun and enjoying the friendship of the people in their groups.

No one was upset or impatient, everyone was talking and catching up with one another.  It was social hour in line among the group you were with. 

Masks - I won't get into the super political discussion of necessary or not, I will keep my opinions to myself - however - everyone was quick to put them on and wear them as appropriate and no one was giving us any grief or acting all "it's my right not to wear this" attitude - which we appreciate as we don't make the rules we just have to enforce them.

Everyday in our park kids are playing, parents are enjoying the outdoors, people are fishing, floating and just plain enjoying the river.  Life really is good and while we live and work in a very rural place (for which I am eternally grateful) the COVID crisis just doesn't seem to interfere with our lives in a significant way.  Sure it takes longer to get people on the river - but that's okay.  It takes a few extra steps to sanitize everything at the end of the float, but that's okay.  We are just happy that we can provide a few hours/days of relief from the on going stress of life in the city!

Halloween Flood of 2019

I don't know if any of this will make sense to anyone.  I have been thinking about writing this since the flood occurred.  The damage sustained in the park this time is significant, but we will recover and we will be open for business next spring.  The store will be brighter and fresh and new.  The bathrooms will be new and beautiful to see.  Some things we don't know about...the Lil Red Caboose - we have to wait until spring to see the total damage done - what is working and what is not.  The pool - again we can't tell what the damage under the cover is.  Will the pool heater work?  We wait.  

I will say that neither Sandy nor I are quitters and while it is going to be tough, we will come out in the end.

We own and operate West Canada Creek Campsites, located on the West Canada Creek just west of the village of Poland on State Route 28.  My family purchased this property in February of 2005.  We have owned and operated this campground for 15 years. 

Prior to our ownership, the park was owned by two other individuals beginning in 1982.  In that time until 2006, no one experienced flooding on the scale we have seen.  In fact, when doing my due diligence and researching this property for flooding issues – the last major flood was 1947.  There were minor flooding issues, but the river never did the damage nor rose to the levels we have seen in the years we have owned the park. 

This most recent flood event was a serious wake up call to all who live along the West Canada.  Prior flood events above the bridge on Route 28 in Poland we exacerbated by the low old bridge.  The bridge was replaced in 2016 (check date) and the engineers that met at our public meetings told us the water would never touch the new bridge.  Silly statement indeed.  In addition to raising the bridge approximate 8 feet, the project also widened the river by over 50 feet which allowed significantly more water through.  

So why did we flood so badly on the days following Halloween 2019? 

Many people will say that the flooding was caused by the significant rainfall the occurred on the 30^th and 31^st.  While many in our community experienced significant damage from the onslaught of rain that occurred and many road ways and some bridges that were washed out as well as several significant landslides that occurred along State Route 28 just west of West Canada Valley Central School, the catastrophic damage that was done along the West Canada Creek might have been reduced had those operating the dam at Hinckley Reservoir paid heed to the projected rainfall and lowered the dam during the 10 days prior to Halloween, instead of waiting until October 29^th to try and lower the water level. 

The chart to the left from the USGS website shows that the rainfall that occurred on October 14 – 16 raised the water level in Hinckley Reservoir over 10 feet.  The amount of rainfall during this event was in the range of 2.5 – 3.5 inches of rain.

From October 19 through October 29 (Chart on next page) there was no attempt made to lower the reservoir and the water level stayed at the top of the spillway (the green line on the chart) for the ensuing 10 days.  This failure to lower the reservoir was disastrous to those living and working along the West Canada Creek.  The release schedule seen in the next chart shows that there was no attempt to lower the reservoir – even though the National Weather Service was calling for significant rain on Halloween from a Tropical Depression moving from the Gulf of Mexico up the Mississippi River Valley, through the Ohio River Valley into the Adirondack Region.

The above chart taken from the website (http://www.canals.ny.gov/wwwapps/waterlevels/hinckley/hinckleywaterlevels.aspx) shows that the release from Hinckley Reservoir on October 17^th was 891 CFS and until October 28^th the release was not increased significantly even though the threat for a significant rainfall was predicted.

The chart left shows what the water levels in Hinckley Reservoir were from October 4^th through November 10^th.   

Add caption

The chart above shows the river gauge on the West Canada Creek at Wilmurt during the event. Wilmurt is above Hinckley Reservoir and this gauge shows the inflow.  Note that the stream gauge stopped working for a period of time due to the extreme high level of water and possibly debris floating that caused failure.  It stopped working when the water level was at approximately 19,000 CFS

This chart shows the inflows from the Black Creek to Hinckley Reservoir.  Black Creek maxed out at about 7000 CFS on November 1^st, 2019. 

What does this all mean?  To understand this let try to understand the numbers.  One Cubic Foot of Water (CF) is equal to 7.48 gallons.  I will use 7.5 to keep the math easier.  One acre of water, one foot deep is equal to 325,851 gallons.  The surface area of Hinckley Reservoir is approximately 2,867 square acres.  As the water level decreases the number of acres decreases as the width decreases due to the sloped shoreline.  I will concede a 3% reduction in surface area for every foot of decrease in the reservoir water level.

Factor	Water Elevation	Surface Area	Gallons/Acre	Total Gallons	Accume Total
1	1224	2867.00	325851	934,214,817
0.97	1223	2780.99	325851	906,188,372	1,840,403,189
0.94	1222	2694.98	325851	878,161,928	2,718,565,117
0.91	1221	2608.97	325851	850,135,483	3,568,700,601
0.88	1220	2522.96	325851	822,109,039	4,390,809,640
0.85	1219	2436.95	325851	794,082,594	5,184,892,234
0.82	1218	2350.94	325851	766,056,150	5,950,948,384
0.79	1217	2264.93	325851	738,029,705	6,688,978,090
0.76	1216	2178.92	325851	710,003,261	7,398,981,351
0.73	1215	2092.91	325851	681,976,816	8,080,958,167
0.7	1214	2006.90	325851	653,950,372	8,734,908,539
0.67	1213	1920.89	325851	625,923,927	9,360,832,466

Cubic Feet per Second (CFS) is equal to a cubic foot of water passing a given point every second.  At the height of the event the West Canada Creek had in excess of 19,000 CFS flowing into Hinckley Reservoir and the Black Creek had in excess of 7,000 CFS flowing into Hinckley Reservoir.  These numbers equaled a combined inflow 729,000,000 or almost 730 million gallons per hour flowing into Hinckley Reservoir.  Had the powers that be lowered Hinckley Reservoir 10 or 11 feet prior to the storm, the reservoir would have been able to absorb approximately 9 billion gallons before it began to overflow instead of the 900 million gallons at the level of 1223 would allow.  And while I will grant you that we still would have flooded, the timing might have been changed to later in the day allowing more people to prepare, instead of water coming up 9 inches every 30 minutes at 7:30 a.m. when we were forced to abandon our property to the mercy of the river. 

With the inflow of 729 million and the outflow at max of 97 million gallons per hour the reservoir would have still hit flood stage, but later in the day and not as severe.  

 

I would also like to ask the really important question of why did Hinckley Reservoir NEVER turn on their Emergency Contact Process?  In other flood events, the local fire departments were notified of impending flooding and were more prepared to notify and evacuate people.  In 2011 and 2014 the Oneida County Emergency Management team notified us ahead of time and even provided sand bags to help mitigate flood damage.  Prior to the Halloween storm there was NO notifications made. 

Assemblyman Mark Butler came to our property during his term 24 – 26 hours ahead of prior flood events to notify me to prepare for the flooding.  Communication was made and people were able to prepare and evacuate safely, this time, people in the community were given NO WARNING.  Senior citizens were awoken in the early morning hours and evacuated with a front loader carrying them through the rising waters as the boats were too slow.  Many were unable to pack anything other than the clothing they wore and their cars were left to the mercy of the waters.

 

We seem to be flooding about every 5 years on average since 2006.  The people in control of the reservoir seem to be less responsible and less knowledgeable on how to control the dam and minimize the damage to downstream residents.  What is the answer?  I am not a hydrologist, meteorologist or expert in water control, but something needs to be done.  While not the only solution to the problem, but the one factor that no one will talk about is the removal of the Gray Reservoir.  It was removed in 2002 (check date) and since its removal we have had 4 floods.  I am told by the “old timers” that many years ago the canal corporation used to send people into the woods to measure the snow pack then they would lower the reservoir accordingly preparing for the spring runoff.  Do they still do this?? 

It seems to me that flooding is becoming a way of life, and frankly, this last storm will cost me well over $150,000 or more and will make it that much harder to prepare for the next flood.

Recent Crests
(1) 1,231.49 ft on 11/01/2019 (P)
(2) 1,228.05 ft on 04/21/2019 (P)
(3) 1,227.13 ft on 04/12/2017
(4) 1,227.06 ft on 04/22/2015 (P)
(5) 1,229.05 ft on 04/16/2014
(6) 1,228.02 ft on 07/03/2013
(7) 1,227.23 ft on 06/29/2013
(8) 1,227.49 ft on 04/20/2013
(9) 1,230.73 ft on 04/28/2011
(10) 1,227.18 ft on 04/14/2011
(11) 1,229.85 ft on 06/29/2006
(12) 1,227.22 ft on 04/25/2005

Purchased Park

(13) 1,228.15 ft on 05/25/2004
(14) 1,227.90 ft on 04/25/2001
(15) 1,227.30 ft on 12/03/1996
(16) 1,227.20 ft on 04/24/1996
(17) 1,227.20 ft on 10/22/1995
(18) 1,223.40 ft on 01/22/1995
(19) 1,227.80 ft on 04/26/1994
(20) 1,228.40 ft on 04/17/1993
(21) 1,226.90 ft on 04/24/1992
(22) 1,227.40 ft on 12/31/1990
(23) 1,227.90 ft on 03/18/1990
(24) 1,227.60 ft on 04/07/1989
(25) 1,226.20 ft on 04/08/1988
(26) 1,228.70 ft on 04/28/1980
(27) 1,228.00 ft on 12/28/1973
(28) 1,227.90 ft on 05/19/1973
(29) 1,228.70 ft on 05/04/1972
(30) 1,227.50 ft on 04/29/1970
(31) 1,227.90 ft on 04/20/1969
(32) 1,230.20 ft on 10/02/1945  Last Major Flood Prior to 2005

(P): Preliminary values subject to further review.

WCCC - Who we are!

Dear Campers:

We are a “family” campground.  This, to us means that families with young and older kids can come and know that their family will be in a safe environment.  That they will not have to worry about the worldly problems that we face each day in our lives.  We provide activities and things to do in the park for kids of all ages.  We have pedal karts, volleyball, basketball, corn-hole games and horseshoes.  We have a game room and WIFI internet access so they can surf the net and some days when everyone in the park is not on the WIFI play a game or stream a movie. 

What we are not, nor do we want to be, is a park where you stay up all night blasting music, talking loud and using foul language, getting drunk and acting like idiots.  We ask our campers to respect their neighbor’s right to have a good time, not impose their good time on their neighbor.  We ask them to drive slowly through the park in case a young child runs out into the road giving them the ability to stop abruptly.  Keep your dogs on a leash and clean up after them.  Keep them off the playground and don’t let them sit on the site barking all day.  If you are going to have visitors, make sure you tell them to register and pay the day use fee that is required of all visitors and make sure they understand our rules. 

We have had a lot of negative reviews done on the park lately and it is really starting to bother us - some have even been done by people that don't camp here. The reviews seem to mostly be made by those that visit the park and choose not to follow the rules.

We don't have pages and pages of rules, but we enforce the ones we have. Quiet hour at 10 pm - we do this so those who have younger kids and anyone that wants to go to bed at a reasonable hour can do so knowing that there won't be a party happening next door. Dogs off the playground - I would think this is self-evident why we don't want dogs on the playground - do you really want you kids playing where dogs pee and do other things? Speed Limit 5 mph - there are kids running around everywhere in the park, young kids that don't always pay attention to the roads or are chasing a ball. Being able to stop quickly is critical and 5 mph is more than fast enough to get that last 200 yards to your site. Visitor fees are something that every campground I know of charges. It is not free to heat and maintain the pool or keep the bathrooms clean and stocked or put on activities that the kids participate in (most are free - only a few are charged for all year). We have to pay for insurance to protect our campers and ourselves and that is not free - so the next time you question visitors fees understand that every person in the park is using resources that have costs and must be paid for.

There are those who don't understand why we have rules, blowing us out of the water and saying we are just rude people - well to you we are. But to the thousands of other campers that come all year I would like to think that we are a place they can bring their families and know that we will do our best to provide a safe and enjoyable family camping experience!

What do campground owners do in the off season?

The camping season is over....now what do campground owners do?  Well, in the old days they used to go to Florida or some other warm climate and spend the cold winter months in the sunshine and glory of the sourthern states.  Well, now, the camping business is more of a year round business, and while there certainly are no campers in the park (at least not ours - some do stay open for snow mobile fans) and the winterization has already been done what do we work on...

State Conferences - we attend state conferences.  These are opportunities for fellow campground owners in New York State to get together and attend some educational classes, gather together and discuss the interesting things that happen during the season and yes, we might even complain about a camper or two!  It is a great time to renew friendships, learn from one another and begin planning for next season.  We also elect the Board of Directors and learn what the organization has been working on and what new benefits we will receive as members.

National Conferences - we also attend national conferences.  These are further opportunities to get together with campground owners all across the country and get more ideas and complain a little more about the crazy campers.  We have more opportunities to attend educational classes, dinners to celebrate the outstanding parks, elections to place new people on the Board of Directors and opportunities to learn about new member benefits. 

At both conferences we also get a chance to visit with vendors that are selling everything from new cabins to chemicals for the septic system and everything in between.  We are making plans.....always making plans.

Sandy and I spend November working on the activity schedule for the following year, finishing up inventory for year end, attending the conferences and finding some time to spend with the boys.  In December we like to review the website and make sure that everything is good, get the rates up for the following year and finalize any major repairs/upgrades we are going to make for the following year. 

The balance of the winter is spend taking reservations, working on the items that can be done while the park is closed and the snow is on the ground and getting ready for the upcoming season. 

March is the beginning of the show season, and we often attend the RV shows that are in our market to help get the word out. 

April comes, and we begin working outdoors, as the weather allows, getting the park ready for the many campers that will begin coming in at the end of the month....the next thing you know....you are busy and it is summer time. 

National Association Conferences

I am on my way home from Savannah, GA where the National Association of Campground Owners and RV Parks (ARVC) held their annual Outdoor Hospitality Expo.  It was an interesting experience.  This is the second conference on the National level that I have attended, the previous one was in Orlando, FL in 2006.  So it has been a while since I have attended - wonder why?  The 2006 Conference cost Sandy and I about $3000 - which to put in bluntly is a heck of a lot of money for us to spend on a conference.  This recent conference will be covered, in large part, by our Owner's Association as I am now the Chairman of the Board and this is one of my responsibilities to represent our state at these functions.  Sandy and the boys did not attend, but spent the week seeing the sights and historical items in the area - good for school and more fun for Sandy than attending the conference. 

The conference this year had some controversy and was full of hoopla and "new news".  The controversy was kept to a minimum which was a benefit to ARVC and was not discussed much in public view.  Of course, New York was one of the topics and we are now the "bad boys" of ARVC as we have recently voted as a Board to Disaffiliate from the National Association.  Many wonder why we did this and I will tell you that it was a hard, arduous decision that left many on the Board feeling sad or angry.  Why did NY disaffiliate?  Many think it was the inclusion and active pursuit of Public Parks, or the discounts that National wants to give multi park owners and the Franchisees of large corporations (IE. KOA and Yogi).  While these issues were the "straw that broke the camel's back" they were not the ONLY reasons.  For years we have been watching ARVC become less and less concerned with state associations and their members and become more interested in .......well I am not sure what.  ARVC has seemed to wander and exist, but really not do too much.  The educational programs are very good and have continued to be good, but have not been expanded or re-energized.  We are a large National Association and yet the primary education program is a one week very intense school in Ogle Bay, WV in February.  What about webinars?  What about other types of ARVC sponsored educations activities at different times of the year? 

The ARVC office moved from Virginia to Colorado 2-3 years ago and the original intent, I believe, was to set up an educational center in conjunction with the office so that classes and education could continue on a more year round basis, but very little preparation was done and much time was lost pursuing bad locations and even worse buildings....so it became much ado about nothing. 

Well, here we are in Savannah and the big announcements are flying...ARVC is going to save campground owners lots of money with new Membership Programs.  I hate to be the Paranoid member, but the new Licensing Agreement gives me concern.  It is a one year program that will significantly discount the licensing that is required of anyone that plays music at their business.  Many campground owners choose not to purchase the licensing because of the cost for what amounts to three activities....the cost is about $400 per event added to the cost of the DJ/Band which for smaller parks can be a cost prohibitive expense.  The new program that ARVC is rolling out will only cost approximately $495 for the whole year for the mid size park, and I am sure that everyone will want to jump on the bandwagon, but the deal is only a one year deal.  What happens in year two if the licensing agencies decide they do not want to renew this "good deal"?  Now they will have a large database of campgrounds that have admitted they provide musical entertainment and if they do not purchase the licenses and the non discounted rate they will be subject to the full force of the law.  From the licensing agency this really is a great deal....discount for one year to get the list, then come back the second year with a full whammy on the parks.  I certainly hope that ARVC is working to prevent this from happening....if not, it will destroy the Association because they will become the scapegoat if this all falls apart.

The conference was well attended and while there were a number of other glitches, classes cut short by scheduling snafu's, instructors having to go to the hospital, a bit of disorganization at the registration desk, and some instructors not really prepared for their classes...it was still a good event and one I would recommend to any campground owner that can afford it.

More to come.......

Campground Reviews

We use a survey company to help us to know if we are doing a good job or not.  We like to believe that we provide great service all the time, but we also know that at times the customers may not believe that they have received great service and if there is something we can do to change that perception or process, we want to do it. 

What is very frustrating as a campground owner is the person that has an issue because they are violating the rules then gives you a bad review that is only part of the truth. 

Two examples: 

During July of this year, when we are at our absolute busiest the following occurred:  A car came speeding into our park - past the Stop - Please Register sign and right up the middle of the park.  Of course, we noticed and followed to address the speeding as well as the "why are you here".  The car stopped and a young man ran from the car to the back bathroom in our park, then after a couple of minutes, came out and jumped in the car which turned around and began speeding out of the park.  My wife jumped in front of the car and started yelling to slow down, then stopped the car to ask what they were doing.  Their response was they were checking out the park to see if they wanted to camp here.  My wife questioned this and asked what they were doing in the bathroom.  They stammerred around a bit, then Sandy asked them to Leave the Park!  Two days later, a review shows up on Google Places telling the world what bad people we are, how they had a reservation but that the Owner yelled and was so rude that they decided not to stay, but to leave.  Of course, we can post a response, but anyone using Google Places sees this review and I am sure get's a bad impression.

During August of this year I had some minor surgery that required me to be off my feet for 3 days.  We planned it for the slowest weekend of the month so that I wouldn't miss anything.  During this time there was a group camping with us that was new.  They were all adults but were loud and a bit roudy.  Sandy asked them to quiet down after quiet hour and the third time she visited the site she told them - either quiet down or leave!  So - I sent our my list for guest surveys - and they responded:  the pool was dirty, the site was nasty and if you weren't friends with the owner, then you had to be quiet and they gave us a D rating. 

Now I don't and will not ever select who the surveys are sent to.  Luckily we have so many great reviews that these few poor showings will never damage our Guest Service A rating, but it is frustrating that these people use this process to slam us, when they were the ones who acted wrong.  People need to take responsibility for their own actions.  If we have done something wrong then we want to address it and correct it as quickly as possible, but if you are just pissed at us, please, send us a note or call us, but don't make things up just to slam us.  We don't make things up about you!

Have a great day.

Columbus Day Weekend

Well this is the last big hurrah of the season and we were full.  It was a great weekend, but S and I always struggle with it.  The local school has a large tournament and there is also a small festival and we enjoy spending time at the events, but to do this we close the office for a few hours at a time and just go.  Now S has NO problem doing this, but Me, well I go crazy worrying about things back at the camp. Does someone need wood or propane.  Do the kids want another train ride.  Would someone be shopping in the store if we were open.  Are we missing some problem in the park?  All this makes me crazy, but time with the family is very important too, so away we go. 

This year there were no crazy things happening, we tried a chili cook off and it was disappointing that more people did not participate.  However, the ones that did made excellent chili and I enjoyed it and we hope they weren't too disappointed.  It was a good time and we had a chance to share a few stories and have some laughs and it was great. 

I will tell one short story about the craziness of the business.  We had a camper for this weekend call us numerous, and I mean more than 4 times asking for a site for her parents.  We were totally booked and she kept calling saying all she needed was a patch of grass for them to park on.  Well, we have lots of grass, but none of it is real parking friendly.  It is either near the playground, or uneven, or very soft after the rain (and we had plenty this week), or just inconvenient.  Well, we had a customer call and change their arrival date by one night which opened up a site so we called the guest back and .............the parents decided not to come after all.   Short and sweet and really not so funny. 

Well, I hope you all have a great winter and we will write as time and thoughts allow. 

M