Village officials are weighing whether it would be prudent to get out of the campground business.
Village President Chuck Smith said the 95-lot Prairie Pines Campground — given to the village by the Air Force after Chanute Air Force Base closed — is profitable. It might be preferable, however, for the facility to be privately owned and operated, he said.
Parks and Recreation Director Luke Humphrey said the village is trying to gain as much information on the campground as it can, knowing it has “significant infrastructure needs.”
“We are trying to determine if it’s best for the village to spend taxpayers’ dollars on the campground, and how much that’s going to be,” he said. Or “does it make sense to part with it and put it in the private sector’s hands moving forward?”
Smith said the village has put out a request for proposals to determine if anyone in the private sector would be willing to buy and operate the campground.
The village so far has received three proposals.
Humphrey said the village will interview all of those who submit proposals and pass the information to the village board for a decision.
According to Humphrey, the site was used for another purpose, possibly as a trailer park, before it became a campground in 1997.
“It was set up in individual spaces, utility-wise,” Humphrey said. “It’s also my understanding the current bathhouse is an old dentist’s office that was moved there when the village assumed ownership of the property.”
The infrastructure is original. Humphrey said the village has fixed any sewer, water and electric infrastructure issues as they’ve arisen.
