Save Cacapon State Park

Our County Commission wrote this letter to Bradley Reed:

Re: Cacapon Resort State Park RV RFP & Proposals

Dear Chief Reed,

We are writing today in response to the State’s request for public opinion concerning the proposals received by the WV DNR for the Cacapon Resort State Park RFP. We would be remiss if we didn’t first take this opportunity to thank the WV DNR, you, and your staff for the support that you all have graciously given to our beloved park over the years. We couldn’t be more proud of our beautiful new Lodge and accommodations. Furthermore, we can’t thank you enough for your recent support of the new mountain bike trail construction and the match provided for the Federal EDA grant to help make that dream a reality.

In regards to the proposals received for the recent RFP, we want to express some of our concerns. As you know, Cacapon State Park (CSP) is a treasured resource for locals and visitors alike, known for its stunning natural scenery and historic significance. We believe that a large-scale RV park (our definition of “large-scale” is an RV park with more than 100 combined sites) would create or significantly contribute to the following problems:

• Excessive traffic and safety issues at the US 522 entrance and throughout the park There is only one entry/exit to CSP and it seems it would create a very undesirable and unsafe situation due to the increase in traffic and the size of the vehicles that would be coming and going. Additionally, the roads throughout the park are winding and narrow and there are places where natural rock outcroppings reach all the way to the edge of the road.
• Overcapacity of the parks sewer plant — When the new lodge was built, the sewer plant was due for a major upgrade to handle the additional waste. As the project costs continued to rise and cuts were required, the sewer plant upgrades were scaled back significantly. The Warm Springs PSD, who oversees the sewer plant, says that the plant is already at capacity and certainly cannot handle a large-scale RV park and all the waste that it would generate.
• Clear-cutting of trees and excessive excavation – A large-scale RV park would require significant clearing and excavation, which would damage the natural landscape and destroy important habitats for birds, mammals and other wildlife and damage certain native plant species. Runoff from the site would contribute negatively to our local watershed and ultimately the Chesapeake Bay Watershed.

To put it plainly, we simply cannot imagine the impact that an RV park of the size/scope of two of the proposals would have on CSP and we don’t feel that it would be for the better. On the contrary, we feel like it would diminish many of the reasons that folks visit our park to begin with: the natural beauty, the historical significance, and the peaceful tranquility.

We would greatly appreciate if the State would consider the small-scale proposal and frankly, are very intrigued at the idea of the State exploring the notion of partnering with the company that is already planning a large-scale RV park less than ten miles from CSP on the other side of Cacapon Mountain. That particular group has been working with our County Planning Commission and our Economic Development Authority for the past couple of years and has put great thought and effort into planning a campground that is adequate in size/scope for that area/parcel. They have also been working on a plan with the members ofthe Cacapon State Park Foundation that have spearheaded the mountain bike trail grant writing/construction, to connect their campground with CSP via an additional mountain bike trail. Working with them would seem like a win-win-win- for the State, CSP and Morgan County.

We appreciate you taking the time to read this and for seeking our input. As we stated before, we would love to be a part of any “evaluation committee” or “work group” that may be created to review the merits of each of the proposals. If we can answer any questions or concerns or be of assistance in any way, please don’t hesitate to contact us.

Respectfully,

Sean Forney                           Joel Tuttle                              Bill Clark

Cc: Governor Jim Justice Secretary Chelsea Ruby

Senator Charles Trump Senator Craig Blair

Delegate George Miller

Delegate Darren Thorne