KOA Mentoring Program

                Each year end my wife and co-conspirator in this business kindly (not!) reminds me that our maintenance dollar amounts seem high and of course at budget creation (or creative accounting) time it’s seems an easy place to slash amounts. It’s always an interesting discussion in respect to this at our campground. The question I get is: If we are maintaining things each year, why do I always seem to want a new tractor or something? Are we constantly not maintaining the old one? Of course I believe 2 tractors are better than 1, redundancy right? The debate on this is another item all together and I am sure one that happens on many campgrounds each year.

                Maintenance in our park encompasses just about everything. I am a firm believer in looking after your investments, whether it is a lodge or a small push lawnmower. The obvious reason is to extend the life of the item(s), but it also helps in other ways. It should reduce downtime as a result of breakdowns, it creates a more professional image when things look new and/ or well maintained, and it’s a tax deduction! Our park is over 40 years old and it seems we have rebuilt it 3 or 4 times over. In actuality some of it I have had to do more than once because I did not look after it properly in the 1^st place. Pool equipment is a huge maintenance issue each year; we have 7 pool pumps alone. Without seasonal maintenance on these pumps the life span will go from 5-8 years down to 2 or 3. If you have ever bought a pool pump you know these are not cheap and a quick math calculation shows that spending some time in the fall and spring really pays off.

                I encourage you in your park to establish a maintenance schedule for your equipment and capital investments. Start small, don’t try and conquer the world in one day. It’s so easy for that scrape or peeling paint to vanish before your eyes in no time, but your guests see it, kind of a forest through the trees concept. Walk around your park with a guest and ask them what they see. We got rid of an old fence and people started telling me what an improvement it was! (It’s the cheap things people tell you about, not that $50,000 playground, weird right?) If you do not feel comfortable with some things, such as: servicing your electrical distribution panels, contract it out. It may not be as costly as you think, and by tightening up those breaker connections and feeds you can avoid some serious electrical issues. We contract out that, our UV water treatment system maintenance and heavy equipment work. Not only does it take the work load off me but also creates a professional buffer if something should go wrong. Should the long arm of the law (ie lawsuit) ever come your way, what better way to protect yourself than records of routine, and professional maintenance schedules? Due diligence and all that.

                It also helps when you can say: Honey I really do need that new mower, the old ones old and I have looked after it the best I can, see look at my records!

Dave Barton

1000 Islands Ivy Lea KOA

Ontario, Canada

 

Welcome to the newest column on your Owners Website. This column’s purpose is to try and answer some of the questions that the newer owners have asked.   It is our hope to be able to briefly touch on a couple of topics.  All of those who signed up as Mentors are listed at the bottom of this page.

 

     Groups can be a great source of future business, since many of the individual members often return to a campground they've been introduced to at a rally.  And, since many people belong to multiple groups, it's not at all unusual to have a member encourage another group s/he belongs to hold a future rally somewhere they've been and enjoyed.  The best way to avoid problems is to try and set up realistic expectations on both sides in initial discussions.  Decide if you want to compete for business on price or value.