New hosts energize Bridgeport RV park

BRIDGEPORT – The camp hosts hired this year to manage the city’s RV and camping operations are making their presence felt, by the looks of comparative numbers disclosed during the regular city council meeting last Wednesday, June 19.

Sue and Randy Stanley assumed management of the city’s RV and camping operations last April and the experienced team’s focus on accountability is paying dividends to the city. Reporting current numbers during last week’s council, Sue Stanley raised some eyebrows with gains made over the same period last year.

In the short time they have been on the job, the Stanley’s have streamlined procedures, tightened policies and ramped up publicity to make reservations easier, eliminate abuses to the system, capture lost fee opportunities and get the word out to potential users. The new approach is paying off, literally.

According to Stanley the comparison looks like this:
April 2018: $1,450     
April 2019: $2,281

May 2018: $2,735    
May 2019: $8,749

June 2018: $7,510    
As of June 19, 2019:  $10,379

July 2018: $13,254    
July 2019 already $9.054.

Stanley reminded council members that this June’s revenue has already exceeded last year by $2,869 with nearly half a month remaining. July looks even better.July 2018 pulled in $13,254 in reservation revenue.

“We’re already at $9,054 for July 2019,” Stanley said.

Stanley said she saw abuses of the old reservation system that was costing the city money when users either did not show up as scheduled or departed early leaving a vacancy in the space they reserved.

“Fishermen would book by the month or two months,” said Stanley. “If for whatever reason they did not like the fishing or other circumstances they would just leave early.”

“All that is done. It’s gone. It’s not happening anymore,” Stanley said.

Some of the fishing regulars did not agree with the new reservations policies and threatened to take their business elsewhere.

“Nobody’s ever in that park. If we’re not going to come, then no one is going to come!” one user complained.

“As soon as those premier reservation spots opened up, within three weeks I had the quota filled,” Stanley said. “People want to come here, and they don’t have to want to fish.”

In addition to tightening up procedures and requiring pre-paid commitments, the Stanley’s are getting the word out on social media on the sites travelers frequent when planning their trips.

There is now a Bridgeport Marina RV Park Facebook page as well as listings on Google, TripAdvisor, RVillage – a social network for RV owners – and even one that targets the big rigs over 45-feet long.

“We can take the big rigs,” Stanley said.

The just completed Conklin Marina RV Park offers 17 additional sites for RVs. City officials are just waiting for fragile landscaping to take hold before opening the sites to users, something that should happen next month.

The Stanley’s even designed and printed Park Host shirts so visitors will recognize the managers when they need assistance.

“We are out there now,” Stanley said.