Two Couples Say

Park Offers Public

Varied Recreation

By TOM YANCEY

Staff Writer

Two couples who are seasonal campers at Kinser Park have taken exception to statements made by Greene County Commissioner John Cox about the park at last Thursday's meeting of the county commission budget committee.

In a letter to County Mayor Alan Broyles, campers Kaylon and Deneise Shepherd, and Jason and Robin Carter, said Cox overlooked the recreational opportunities that the park provides and focused only on seasonal camping.

Cox has proposed withholding funding pending major changes in seasonal camping policies.

The letter, a copy of which was provided to The Greeneville Sun, points out that Kinser Park has eight picnic pavilions (several of which can seat large crowds), a swimming pool, a golf course and a miniature golf course, a water slide, volleyball and tennis courts, playgrounds and other recreational facilities that can be used by campers or non-campers. The park also has 13 tent-camping sites.

"We feel Kinser Park is truly a park that will accommodate most sectors of Greene County, and is worthy of the tax revenues," the campers wrote.

In addition, the letter objected to conditions that Cox proposed putting on the $30,000 in annual funding that the county gives to Kinser Park.

Cox proposed the county only release the $30,000 to the Kinser Park Commission after certain preconditions are met, including:

* Changing park policy so that when seasonal campers decide to leave, they do not have the option of selling their campsite along with their camper. He said instead the vacated campsite should be offered to the person at the top of a waiting list that the park maintains.

* Electric meters for each "permanent," or seasonal, campsite.

* Increasing the number of weekend/short term sites so that there is at least one more weekend site available than the total of seasonal campsites, so that more of the general public could camp at the park and at shorter intervals.

Currently, there are 145 total campsites with utility hookups. Of that total, 130 campsites are seasonal, and 15 are for weekend campers.

* Start giving top priority for vacant seasonal campsites to Greene County residents, over campers who live outside the county and state.

* Set a time limit of five years for the Kinser Park Commission to enact these changes.

Cox was quoted as saying in a June 27 article in the Sun, "I'd say we keep the money ($30,000) in the budget, but (not release the funds) until these conditions are met."

Cox also stated, and the Sun reported, that fees at other camping areas in the region are higher than the $750 that seasonal campers pay to camp 73 or 74 nights per year at Kinser Park.

The letter states that the writers found rates that range from $700 to $3,500 per season, but also pointed out that many parks in the region offer more amenities than Kinser Park.

According to the letter, amenities they found at other sites that Kinser Park does not have included storytelling, live entertainment, indoor facilities for social activities, wi-fi, meals at a snack bar, laundry facilities and a longer "season."

The letter states that the writers are not opposed to paying a fee based on electricity used, and suggests that a fair price be worked out and included in the seasonal fee.

The letter also defends efforts by the Kinser Park Commission, after Cox said that body is "part of the problem" and "cannot look objectively at the situation."

As is true of most other local appointive volunteer boards and commissions, the membership of the Kinser Park Commission has had a great deal of continuity over the years, with some members serving on the commission for well over a decade.

Of the current nine voting members, three have been members at least 10 years, six have been members since at least 1999.

As previously reported, County Commissioner Phil King, who is a member of both the County Commission's Budget & Finance Committee and the Kinser Park Commission, took strong exception to Cox's statement about the park commission, stating that he (King) has never camped there, nor have members of his family.

A Kinser Park commissioner for about nine years, King also said that, without the steady and predictable revenue from seasonal campers, the park would not have enough money to operate and would have to either close or seek more money from the city and county.

It has become customary for the Town of Greeneville to provide the same amount to the park that the County Commission provides.

The letter points out rule changes that the Kinser Park Commission has made in recent years to respond to concerns that have been raised about permanent "seasonal" camping.

In 2006, the rule that had allowed campsites to be sold more than once was amended to add a "grandfather clause" for one sale for campers who had been in good standing up to that time, with the site accompanying sale of the trailer or RV, the letter notes.

The Kinser Park board also implemented a procedure for reserving temporary sites with a deposit that would be forfeited if the camper was a "no-show," according to the letter.

The letter urges further research, and asks the County Commission to consider the relatively low occupancy rate for weekend campers.

The letter concludes, "If the goal is to operate Kinser Park as a park for many to enjoy for many years to come, let's not spend unnecessary money to fulfill requirements ... that have not been properly researched.

"We would hope that there would be a plan and that the proper officials will have 'done the math' " necessary to ensure long-term success.