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Post by dlwdwdvc on Feb 7, 2024 11:56:04 GMT -5
Have you asked them if they would be interested selling as investor or a 5 year partnership with some type of options favorable to the local family landowners. ?
I am trying to remember your list of published books but I think I recall a book about Ft W Campgrounds …?
Okay you need a nice little nook area with camping book collection for coffee and hot chocolate afternoons and evenings .
Hint Don’t you just love that electrical fireplace outside Disney Springs Starbucks where you watch the Aerophile ?
Okay back to reality Focus .
I just remembered your name to google your stories.
Camping Disney is currently unavailable .but your other 2 books are .
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Post by baymaxfan on Feb 7, 2024 13:16:02 GMT -5
I just want to say that I am extremely impressed by your project and you. You have this all so well organized. I don't really know much about you, but I would think this is the 20th time you've done this.
Have you considered trying to locate a couple of "silent investors" who could provide cash but have no say in the business? I know that might add unwanted complexity, but just a thought.
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Post by dlwdwdvc on Feb 7, 2024 15:28:01 GMT -5
I just scanned from Original post and most images are blocked for me .
Is this correct?
I was looking for a map or location for Standing Pines .
Hartsville, S.C. 2 hour drive to Myrtle Beach or Charleston, S.C.
In case anybody plans to visit in the area.
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Post by MinnieMom on Feb 8, 2024 10:16:19 GMT -5
I'm sure there is a way! I don't know what that way is yet, but there will be a way! I did a little due diligence yesterday on the potential price. While not as common as residential appraisals, I was able to finda value for very well maintained pastureland in our area at roughly $2200-$2500 per acre. I'm no farmer, but suspect those 96 acres might not meet that full definition. Still, as I expect SPR to raise property values when we open, it may well be a good value. I'll keep thinking about it, as I want to call him tomorrow to follow up and express both interest in buying and concern with timing. Interesting. I didn't know Camping Disney was out of print. Thanks for letting me know. There have been some challenges with the publisher. Some of the other authors have gone so far as to threaten to sue to get their publication rights back from him. This was a good prompt for me to reach out to the publisher for an update on my books. I could see "Camping Disney" selling reasonably well at SPR, so at the very least I would like to get one back in print. These challenges are the primary reason I'll self publish the Forest Friends books for Standing Pines. Or perhaps create an entity for this. Standing Pines Press, anyone??? :-) Here's a map showing most of what I consider our regional market, along with approximate driving times. Typically, regional RV campers will drive up to ~4 hours to a campground. That puts Atlanta and Richmond at the outer edges of our market, but still very much possible for those families who might be planning a longer stay. If gas prices go up, that radius typically contracts a bit. But campgrounds have traditionally been less impacted by bad economic times than the rest of the hospitality industry, likely due to the overall lower cost of camping compared with other vacation options. It's been almost two years since I calculated it, but there should be at least 16 million plus in just the major metro's in that 4 hour driving window around us. That's not counting the very high traffic volumes on I-95 or I20, both of which are a reasonable 30-35 minute drive.  I tried to show the distance to the interstate on a simplified graphic. It's not great, but gets the general point across. I may have someone on fivver try to improve these maps for the website.  And my daughter helped me with this one, which shows the interstates and our location via logo on the state map.  Now I'm back to the reading nook idea. We do have a section of the Welcome Center dedicated as a media center. It would fairly simple to add an electronic fireplace - or digital one - to that area along with some bookshelves stocking different books. |
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Post by dlwdwdvc on Feb 8, 2024 15:36:41 GMT -5
And don’t forget those stickers that people seem to collect to stick on their camping gear loaded on their cars, etc.
Fort Wilderness has really cool magnetic designs that they give you to write your name on to identify your golf cart.
Mine is on the refrigerator now with the Canoe paddling down the creek .
Where we go with the flow.
I think they have 4 different designs to hand out with
OFF ! Logo sponsor.
Thakns for the great maps.
I was scanning thru this post, I saw the Manufactured Home design for your new home and visited their site.
So curious about camping now with your influence and DVC Fort Wilderness Cabins.
I just might have to go to one of those RV Shows at the Orange County Fairgrounds or something .
I also checked out things to do in Hartsville.
Looks like a nice town
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Post by MinnieMom on Feb 9, 2024 18:07:47 GMT -5
The stickers should be fun. I'm thinking about getting a fiver artist to clean up that map my daughter made as the basis for our stickers. A lot of those are shaped like states, so that should work well. We have done some initial work with a national autism organization. There is an extra cost to get the official designation, so that may not happen by opening. Still, we are doing a lot of the overall design to create inclusive spaces.
The local attorney's cleared the title and sent that paperwork to the bank yesterday. The closing coordinator called me this afternoon to let me know she's sending the file to the bank review team on Monday. Ok, whatever, as long as we close on Friday next week. I was much more polite than that, but it was my key message. We agreed on this close date several weeks ago. The bank is not waiting on me or anything needed from us or our legal for closing. Let's keep the date as agreed and get this done.
In other news, we moved to a quarterly schedule for the local advisory team meetings. 3 of the 5 members showed up for the meeting today, which is actually pretty good. We did the session in person, with preview tours around the property. It's good to hear that enthusiasm from the community for the project!
Our GC is pushing to move the location of the Welcome Center back 5 feet. I don't have a strong opinion and have asked DH to make the decision with the GC. Usually, GC has a good reason for these kinds of suggestions, even if we have a hard time understanding his logic. So my guess is we go with that recommendation. Mostly, I think we have plenty of room. Moving the building back five feet is no big deal to me. It does kind of play into a different move though. DH wants to shift the location of the pool about 100 feet to the east, keeping the entrance the same relative distance to the Welcome Center for bathrooms and snack bar access. This is mostly due to the topography, as it sites the pool on a more naturally level portion of the rec pad. Pool designers, pool engineer, pool builders & GC are fine with the location adjustment. Once there is that level of alignment, I'm good. So while there will be more detail work to support this adjustment, the decision is made.
I need to get back to creative work with the stories. I'm hoping there is not much to coordinate next week on the closing so I can focus on writing and artwork for a week. That would be great!
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Post by MinnieMom on Feb 11, 2024 14:04:50 GMT -5
My brother and his wife are potentially interested in going in with us on the extra property here. He asked me about the intent for the property - why do we want it? That prompted me to start working on an actuall business case for the purchase. I need to test some assumptions, but there may well be quite a decent business case for a separate tiny home vacation village community adjacent to us. Again, this woul dbe down the road for us. Realistically, I think the soonest we would be in a position to begin a whole new second development would be 2029, with a target 2030 opening. Still. Land holds value. And if we can negotiate an agreement for a future purchase on good terms, this could be an excellent thing for us long term. I think we are closer to figuring out the model for guest speakers for classes. There are a number of experts - college town! - in some fascinating subjects. Conceptually, we are getting close to a model where we invite a handful of experts (yoga instructor, beekeeper, bookbinder, travel agent, artist, etc) to offer classes for our guests. We'd provide location, marketing, billing and general logistics, with a 50/50 revenue split. While additional revenue streams are always welcome, the real advantage I see for SPR is the ability to offer a very diverse set of offerings. While many campgrounds offer different activity packages, I have not yet visited or benchmarked one that could offer the sheer range we could if this model works out. Along those lines, DH is now fully on board with my grass amphitheater concept.  (https://designstudio31.co.uk/grass-amphitheatre-design/) We found a neat corner in the back of the cleared land that is not earmarked for campsites in phase 2. I asked the crew lead to drop extra dirt from the pond excavation that does not have another purpose in this area to start building the future grass amphitheater. DH has been dubious on this concept for a long time now. But, when we had the pool builders in last week, we offered them a tour of the whole site. When they asked about "Amy's Pile of Dirt," DH explained the concept. They were immediately and strongly supportive, saying that was one of the most impressive and innovative concepts they had seen any any campground or RV resort. Events, outdoor education, corporate retreats, faith based services - there are many uses for this. DH is now on board and happy with the amphitheater plans. Cool. I've been wondering if there would be any value to recording an update using the slides I put together for a recent chamber of commerce community update and uploading that to youTube. It would be a good way to share some of the vision of the resort. I'd have to be careful of the language so we don't overpromise, but it may be something worth doing. Oh! That reminds me, I had a fun idea for a Facebook challenge. We are now at 901 followers on the Standing Pines Resort facebook page. (facebook.com/CampStandingPines/) While I am very grateful for this as a sign of interest in the project, I am also interested in growing this audience. Once we close the loan, I want to run a challenge for the facebook page. The two most frequent questions we get are " when will you open?" and " when can I book?" DH and I agree we can make these dates public after closing. So I am thinking of making it fun, and challenging the facebook followers to grow to 1,000+ to unlock these two dates! I ran this concept past our SBA guy and he liked it. Because the Facebook algorithm rewards engagement, he suggested making it a multi-part challenge, with at least x number of shares, comments or likes as well. I think he's right about the algorithm, but that kinda clutters up what could be a simple challenge. So maybe we can try this simple for the date unlock, but keep the concept for future unlocks of content like construction video, discounts or community events. Or maybe even sponsorship, such as for the local wildlife rescue group. Okay, enough procrastinating. I have some chores to go do, then some work I want to get done this afternoon. I'll check in soon with more thoughts. As always, thanks for following along with us on this journey! |
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Post by MinnieMom on Feb 12, 2024 11:30:28 GMT -5
It is marketing time! I just posted a teaser on Facebook - which upcoming construction milestone should we live stream? Vote to help pick! Happy Monday SPR fans! The next 14 days are scheduled for major milestones in construction, including the foundation work for the Welcome Center and a large crane lifting big tanks into place. Vote now for the event you want to watch as it happens! We will go live for whichever milestone has the most votes by 6pm EST on Valentine’s Day 2024. BONUS: if we get more than 150 reactions (likes/shares/comments), we will livestream both! forms.gle/qRE3SyhAzfnsmX4h8 LOL! This one is pure fun. I've no idea if it will get any traction given the short timeline, but who knows? Can't hurt to try. |
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Post by tomandrobin on Feb 12, 2024 14:43:24 GMT -5
Along those lines, DH is now fully on board with my grass amphitheater concept. Oh...I love this idea!
Its a great use of extra dirt on the property.
I can you using this for camp fire stuff too.
Only two downsides I foresee....Who is cutting that grass? The grass will die off if used a lot, especially if it not watered/irrigated.
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Post by MinnieMom on Feb 13, 2024 11:52:44 GMT -5
Thanks! I like the low initial cost and think it will be something different. We have not seen anything like this in any of the parks we have benchmarked. Grass type TBD with some talks from local extension office. We plan DH to have a team of 2 FTE for maintenance, including grounds. They would keep it looking good. It's going to have to be foot traffic hardy, which might wind up leading us to use walk-on-me thyme, clover or other non grass alternative. Since we are opting against an extensive irrigation system, we are going to buy a water tank on a trailer to be pulled by the ranger for scheduled watering. Most likely, this will be a daily task (excluding rain days) split up for different parts of the property to make sure everything gets watered 2-3x per week. Making sure the amphitheater gets water on schedule should be just one more location for this.  Switching topics back to playground equipment, DH and I are full "go" on the low ropes option. I contacted the supplier. We plan to place the order early next week. Our budget allows for 4 initial stations with 4 different types of components between them. Then we can expand the system as we go. That flexibility, plus the fact that every parent who has looked at the photos with me seems to think their kids will like playing on this, is the winner. Just earlier today I realized how easy it will be to custom theme these to the Forest Friends. We can toss on some painted plywood at the different stations with characters (cut outs for heads for photos maybe?) or story murals. That will be easy (cheesy!) fun!! Gosh, I'm nervous for Friday. I sent the bank team an email yesterday morning emphasizing the importance of closing on time as scheduled for Friday and asking them to call me for immediate response to any last minute question or concern. So our closing coordinator emailed me late yesterday afternoon to confirm the address for mailing purposes. I'm tentatively considering no news as good news for this. And given the long journey with the bank, I will remain nervous until we sign and see the first funds disbursed. However. One good thing about going to the conference last week was talking to many different aspiring campground owners. No one else I spoke with has been approved by this bank or any other for the total project. Not one single person, and I spoke to about a dozen who had tried. Two of the speakers even addressed this, saying the bank we are using is the best bet for campground funding for new builds, while also commenting they were unable to get the funding for construction directly from the bank. Instead, the suggested strategy was to get loans from friends/families, open and then refinance with bank after opening proved the concept. When I did my routine check with our SBA consultant last week, I mentioned this. He said they've seen a lot of tightening in lending, to the point several of his other clients just don't have any options for funding at all. These data points make the long journey with the bank to find a way to make this funding work seem more understandable. Frustrating, but if we are one of the very few who get approved, well worth it in the end. Fingers crossed! |
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Post by MinnieMom on Feb 14, 2024 18:23:16 GMT -5
A call from the bank this morning strongly suggests closing will be pushed from this Friday to early next week. Sigh. Nothing on our part; no need to do anything. Closing coordinator explained that title insurance was going to require an extra step, which the attorneys handle with the insurance company. I directly asked if there was anything indicating a problem with the loan, anything that would prevent closing. She just as directly said the loan will go through, the bank is committed to it. Of course Monday is a bank holiday, so the current thought is to push from Friday closing to Monday closing, with funding on Tuesday next week. We have multiple sub contractors on site this week, preparing for foundation work on the clubhouse and the delivery/installation of two very large concrete tanks for the sewer system on Tuesday next week. Seriously large - they were specialty built in three parts each, requiring a caravan of 6 trucks to deliver to us from the manufacturer in NC. We timed the closing to coordinate with this activity to make sure payments happen on time. So while closing slipping 1, 2, 3 or even 4 or 5 business days seems like a minor thing compared to the 18+ month process of getting to this point, any delays in funding could create a ripple effect in payments that I would much rather avoid. Don't we have a Plan B, just in case? Don't be silly. Of course we have a Plan B. And a Plan C. And if no way around it, a Plan D. None are optimal, but any of these back up plans would ensure our contractors are paid on time. However, given that I've spent the past ~6 weeks clarifying on the phone, in person and in email to the bank team, the attorney's office and a few other professionals involved with this deal, the critical importance of closing on or before Feb 16 as scheduled, I was hoping we would actually make the date. Instead, the attorney's missed a small detail on a title insurance policy that now has to go back to the underwriter at the insurance agency for an exception approval. Mind, this is for a relatively small amount on a multi-million dollar loan. Like the other delays in the process, perhaps this will be a good thing for us long term. Every day we push closing out is another day we push our first loan payment out. That may be the silver lining in this rather annoying cloud. On the fun side, we had a blast at the construction site today. DH found another spot we had not previously designated for anything near the front that we can now have as an overflow area for parking and/or events like bouncy houses or park parties or even local farmer's market or craft fair activities. The sub-contractor for the sewer system set up control points for a very precise GPS system to use for laying out the trenching for the system to exactly follow the engineering plan. That is impressive. I was curious and asked a number of questions. GPS precision has come a very long way from the early 90s. Another sub, the concrete foundation guy, was on site with the GC to walk the future Welcome Center. DH and I like being there for those walk throughs, as we can ask and answer questions directly. The most fun was asking DH to draw the future resort pool on the ground to reflect his preferred location. It was the first scale representation of the pool. WOW! That's going to be a ton of fun when it's done! I love the design of the pool. Also, it will be bigger than our house at 2,516 sq ft. Here's a look from the print set, which will auto delete in two weeks. The photo of the construction site shows the rough "draw in the dirt" approximation DH did today to show me the relative size and location for the pool. I repeat: FUN!   It will take a ton of work over the next several months to move from this point to the finished product. It's neat to walk the bare ground and envision what it will look like in six months. Here's the concept art showing that look again. This is the piece that will probably best correlate finished product to concept art, as it is drawn from the engineered design plan for the pool. While the artist took some liberties with scale, this is the feel/vibe we anticipate for the pool area.  I am enjoying filming the construction work and look forward to doing more of this. I think it might make a good retrospective someday. For now, it's a way to try to stay engaged on social media as the first stage of our overall marketing campaign. Win win! Happy Valentines all. If you celebrate - hope it's been a great day! If you see it as a commercially crass attempt to separate people from dollars - DH agrees with you. Personally, I plan to offer romance packages for Valentines 2025 at Standing Pines Resort. So maybe we will see a MO or two in person this time next year! Wouldn't that be fantastic?  |
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Post by MinnieMom on Feb 16, 2024 14:04:05 GMT -5
I'm calling the first scheduled live video update a success. We had 10 following the video in real time! Now, just a few hours later, it's had 271 views (and counting) with a decent 36 engagements. I downloaded it from Facebook to upload it to youTube to broaden the possible audience and make sure I had a place to keep the footage indefinitely. Here's 27 minutes chock full of info, design, back story and plans for Standing Pines Resort!
DH sped it up 150% to show DD and Grandma. I must talk slowly, because that faster speed doesn't really lose anything. :-)
On a wild whim, I wrote up a news release for the planned live video show on Tuesday afternoon for the crane tank install. Who knows? Maybe it will help get the word out to a wider audience. Marketing!!
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M2JRA
One Bedroom
Posts: 231
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Post by M2JRA on Feb 16, 2024 15:04:34 GMT -5
Re the idea of the outdoor amphitheater - LOVE IT. My daughter's college has one and it is an amazing space. Everyone on campus absolutely loves it. Until last year, graduation was held here (they had to move graduation though, due to size constraints and also I think some ADA compliance issues; the student body was very upset about the change of venue). It's also used for First Collection, performances, seminars, sometimes as a classroom, etc. etc. Here's a link (hope this is allowed; I'm never sure about external links; mods please remove if it's against rules): www.swarthmore.edu/explore-swarthmore/scott-outdoor-amphitheater |
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Post by dlwdwdvc on Feb 17, 2024 5:06:07 GMT -5
Hi again Really enjoying your excitement with the updates.
I have a question about the adjoinjng property … what is on this land currently?
You mentioned a romantic getaway and nice place for wedding ceremonies…
If the land is still fairly remote and landscaping is peaceful …I think a Treehouse ,similar to DVC / SSR , on stilts for a very private honeymoon !
Maybe even a rooftop balcony to view the stars and the moon . You can even decorate a golf cart with the old fashioned tin cans strung along the back …throwing bird seed instead of rice from family & friends … .
Will you have a link for crane install live stream on Tuesday?
Also just watched Friday 2/16 live stream posted…what burgers & nuggets. No hotdogs ? Maybe a vegetarian hotdog too ?
Don’t forget giant pretzels .
I have been researching the history of this area . I guess I am curious to family that owns the adjoining property and so much more.
Also think the native tribes that originally lived on this land in South Carolina . is very interesting
One site had info about the original train journey daily itinerary :
Schedule of the Hartsville , S.C. R.R. Dec.7, ‘89
Daily Mixed Train leaves Hartsville 7:15 A.M. on to Jovann
Arrive at Floyd’s for connection (Cheraw & Darlington Railroad ) (C.& D.R.R. ) returning to Hartsville 9:45 P.M.
I went to the bookstore to search for Campfire Cookbook Recipes… and hoping to find magazines about camping .
You need to discuss with publisher starting a magazine !
P.S.Would love a snapshot of your sunrise or sunset sneak preview !
Maybe your daughter can take a photography class for a small business to sell photos of families having fun at the Camp
and a wall of snapshots she has taken of the journey and fun of making new friends at the Standing Pines.
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Post by MinnieMom on Feb 17, 2024 13:16:43 GMT -5
Re the idea of the outdoor amphitheater - LOVE IT. My daughter's college has one and it is an amazing space. Everyone on campus absolutely loves it. Until last year, graduation was held here (they had to move graduation though, due to size constraints and also I think some ADA compliance issues; the student body was very upset about the change of venue). It's also used for First Collection, performances, seminars, sometimes as a classroom, etc. etc. Here's a link (hope this is allowed; I'm never sure about external links; mods please remove if it's against rules): www.swarthmore.edu/explore-swarthmore/scott-outdoor-amphitheaterWow! Thanks so much for sharing - I love those pics! That's certainly larger than the small scale version I have in mind, but a fantastic verification of beauty and utility. Hi again Really enjoying your excitement with the updates. I have a question about the adjoinjng property … what is on this land currently? You mentioned a romantic getaway and nice place for wedding ceremonies… If the land is still fairly remote and landscaping is peaceful …I think a Treehouse ,similar to DVC / SSR , on stilts for a very private honeymoon ! Maybe even a rooftop balcony to view the stars and the moon . You can even decorate a golf cart with the old fashioned tin cans strung along the back …throwing bird seed instead of rice from family & friends … . Will you have a link for crane install live stream on Tuesday? Also just watched Friday 2/16 live stream posted…what burgers & nuggets. No hotdogs ? Maybe a vegetarian hotdog too ? Don’t forget giant pretzels . I have been researching the history of this area . I guess I am curious to family that owns the adjoining property and so much more. Also think the native tribes that originally lived on this land in South Carolina . is very interesting One site had info about the original train journey daily itinerary : Schedule of the Hartsville , S.C. R.R. Dec.7, ‘89 Daily Mixed Train leaves Hartsville 7:15 A.M. on to Jovann Arrive at Floyd’s for connection (Cheraw & Darlington Railroad ) (C.& D.R.R. ) returning to Hartsville 9:45 P.M. I went to the bookstore to search for Campfire Cookbook Recipes… and hoping to find magazines about camping . You need to discuss with publisher starting a magazine ! P.S.Would love a snapshot of your sunrise or sunset sneak preview ! Maybe your daughter can take a photography class for a small business to sell photos of families having fun at the Camp and a wall of snapshots she has taken of the journey and fun of making new friends at the Standing Pines. Of course! Here's the link to the crane live stream for Tuesday: www.facebook.com/events/697827389198729?acontext=%7B%22event_action_history%22%3A[]%7D We are meeting our neighbor Monday to walk the property. It is primarily fenced, hilly cow pasture, although there are a few wooded spots on the ends and the back end of the property is a small creek. DH teased me about the menu comments. LOL! I meant to convey a sense of type of food & left out several planned items. I may have overstepped on the burgers though. If we offer them, it will be reheated frozen burger. But I'm not sure about those, because if I don't like them once I taste them we are not going to sell them. Finicky perhaps but true. Oh yes, lots and lots of history in the area. Several local families enjoy hunting for arrowheads and similar on their land. A couple of contacted me asking for permission to do the same, but none have followed up to schedule a time yet. I suspect we would have significantly less, as this property was previously commercial logging land that had been harvested multiple times over the decades. I may not have posted the article from late last week naming Hartsville the 10th Cultural District for the state. Below is a quick description and photo from the announcement. This is a nice recognition for the town and one more item we can play up in marketing for reasons for families to schedule a week long vacation here at Standing Pines Resort. I was not involved in the application/development of this, but am very glad to see it. I think that's one more feather in the cap for Hartsville! "Cultural districts are geographic areas of S.C. cities or towns that have a concentration of artistic assets, cultural facilities, creative businesses, and placemaking activities. They contribute creative economic vitality to their locality and are tourism hotspots for locals and non-locals alike."  |
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