It was a frantic day at Cochrane Pond Family Campground on Thursday as campers rushed to collect their valuables and get out before the City of St. John’s shut down the park.
The city says the campground is unsafe, with concerns over fire safety regulations and septic disposal, and worries over a single entryway into the park.
“Our primary concern at this point is the condition of the road and the lack of a secondary access which could result in a fire that cannot be managed safely,” newly minted St. John’s Regional Fire Department Chief Sherry Colford stated in a news release.
“I’m just blown away by this,” said one camper, who asked not to be named.
“They came around and said we had to be out of here tonight. I’m up here 20 years. Try taking 20 years’ worth of stuff out of here in a couple of hours.”
While the city has ordered trailers removed, the campers who spoke to The Telegram on Thursday afternoon say they’re hesitant to leave their belongings behind. Over the winter, a rash of break-ins at campers led to one man’s arrest and subsequent eviction from the site.
On top of theft concerns, the people have paid their money to be there for the summer. Over the winter offseason, campers pay $100 to allow their trailers to remain on-site. The peak summer months from May to September require a $1,500 payment up front.
One camper said they paid their fee on Wednesday, only to be told on Thursday they had to get out, with no idea of when they might be able to return.
“This was like a tornado to us. It’s something that’s out of our control right now. We’re trying to get control of the situation. Some people have said they’re going after the city, but I don’t know. Hopefully it’ll come to a positive conclusion before then,” said Jeff Penton, operator of the campsite.
“Under normal protocol I would expect a written notice that you have these deficiencies, you have 30 days to amend them. That didn’t happen. We never got nothing in writing, first nor last.”
Penton operates the park on behalf of a family that purchased the area from the government in the late 1990s. There are approximately 100 campsites in the park, most of which see trailers, but not necessarily people, stationed year-round.
Sandy Hickman, co-chair of the Regional Fire Service Committee, says notice was given months before the city took over jurisdiction from the province on the regulation of the park a few weeks ago.
“At that point, we took it very seriously and did more inspections over the last few weeks. From that, it was noted that very little action has been taken during the inspection in October. There was lots of warning from last fall, but no action,” said Hickman.
Penton says he’s been given no indication on the next steps, and whether or not he will be held responsible for the deficiencies identified by the city. For now, he says he just has to wait to find out what’s going to happen and whether or not the park will be able to reopen before the end of the peak season.
The majority of trailer owners enjoy the campground on a seasonal basis, leaving their trailers on-site over the offseason. But a small number of others are not campers, but residents, living in the area year-round.
Hickman says another concern is that those year-round residents might not be living in an area up to code by city standards.
“You’re not allowed to reside permanently, only if this emergency vehicle access is provided year-round. There’s no secondary access. If indeed there are people there year-round, then it changes completely. It’s very tough to deal with,” said Hickman.
“The city will work with them to address the violations to ensure the park becomes safe. Once it’s safe, then we can look at opening it up again.”
Twitter: DavidMaherNL
