City to review possible RV park plans

After multiple requests from campers, tourists, and organizations, unofficial "tentative" plans were drawn up to show what an RV park in the city of Harrisburg would look like.

Mayor Dale Fowler presented the tentative plans to the City Council during their meeting on Thursday.

"For the last two or three years, we've had numerous requests (through the Mayor's office)," Fowler said, mentioning previous discussions of an RV park with city superintendents Hefner and Brown. Other area organizations, including the Park District and Shawnee National Forest had reportedly also received questions regarding an RV park.

One of the most recent requests for an RV park came to Fowler from a Vietnam veteran and a member of the Charlie Company, 4th Division. The veteran in question told Fowler that his division would like to hold their 50th anniversary reunion in Harrisburg on Sept. 17, 2017. The group would consist of 100-150 people, many of whom travel by RV.

Fowler stated that the recent requests, timed with the expansion of Accelaquarter Raceway on Rt. 34, prompted a request to have plans of what an RV park located near the raceway would look like. A tentative location presented during the meeting was located on Veteran's St. in Harrisburg, near the city Water Department.

Most of the work on the park, according to tentative discussions could be done by the city, but that could change after further discussion. A projected, possible expense of the project could range between $25,000 and $30,000, a range Fowler considered "estimating highly."

Commissioner Beth Montfort called the plans "a great idea," but questioned whether a municipality could own a business, with Commissioner John McPeek citing The HUB in Marion as an example. Commissioner McPeek and Commissioner Natalie Miller voiced their praise for the project, while Commissioner Richard Harper stated that he "was not against it," but that he wanted to see numbers regarding cost and construction before he could provide an opinion. Harper also pointed out that the plans should be moved to his area - public property - as the hypothetical plans presented during the meeting would utilize existing public property.

Fowler asked the council to take a look at the plans to assess feasibility, with further discussion at the next council meeting.