Opinion By Linda Dean Cooper
We took a trip to Cedar Key this afternoon to see how the city was faring after the storms and get my favorite dish at Steamers restaurant. After eating, we decided to drive to Shell Mound. This is the time of year Shell Mound is starting to fill up with campers, but there was not one camper or tent on the site. I was shocked. I have never seen the boat ramp and campsites so empty.
Signs on all the campsites with power poles stated, “No power due to storm”. The storms were about six weeks ago. Shell Mound has 26 campsites, but not all have electricity. I saw approximately five signs stating no power. How long does it take to repair approximately 5-10 power poles? I was told that a contractor was assigned the contract but he is working in Cedar Key. That didn’t sound promising knowing the state Cedar Key is in after the storms.
Cash Only, No Refunds, No Reservations
The office had electricity, so it is not an electric company provider issue, it’s a Levy County Government failure to serve the public. While checking to see if the office had power, I noticed the sign, “CASH ONLY, NO REFUNDS, NO RESERVATIONS”. Why cash only? Why no reservations? Who wants to haul a trailer/camper to the middle of nowhere to be told no vacancies? How hard is it to take a reservation? If the camper has paid, is a no-show, and has a no-refund policy, what is the loss? Nothing.
Who is Andrew & Why Boardwalk Closed?
The Shell Mound boardwalk further down the road is closed. The road is filled with debris. My guess is to discourage people from going to the closed boardwalk. There didn’t appear to be much damage to the boardwalk. There was a sign that said “Due to storm damage. Area will be close (sic) until further notice. Any questions, call or text Andrew @ 703-622-3896.” I called, no identifying information of who, or what agency Andrew works for. The 703 is a Virginia area code.
A public records request will be submitted Monday morning for the name of the electrical contractor assigned to the job and all the particulars.
Matt Weldon is the Parks and Recreation Director and newly assigned interim Animal Control Director. If Weldon cannot get something as simple as a few power poles repaired due to a lack of an electrical contractor, continues to do cash only, and has provided no reservations capability then we need to find someone who can.
Shell Mound Losing Money – The Public Deserves Better
The Shell Mound campground is losing money. The county cannot afford to continue to lose money with an empty campground that many locals use regularly. The public wants their campground up and running properly and to be something we can be proud of.
To be continued.
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Posted November 17, 2024
