TONASKET – Tonasket Chamber of Commerce president Dale Crandall said at the Tuesday, Feb. 28 chamber meeting that after examining options for the future of the Tonasket RV Park, attempting to make it legal for tenants to stay for longer than a month at a time would be inadvisable.
Crandall said that when city water is supplied, there aren’t issues that would run the park foul of the Health Department. But unless the tenants can be defined as temporary or recreational, the park would have to be designated a mobile home park.
“If we have tenants there that are not vacating at least one night a month we will fall into (mobile home park territory),” he said. “We have to define our tenants as transient for recreational purposes in order to be an RV park that is exempt from mobile home park regulations. And believe me, that would be a lot more complicated.”
There were no formal decisions made about the RV park, however.
Treasurer Bill Nelson said that 48 members have paid dues for 2012 so far, with more still coming in. The account balance stood at $13,517 with all bills paid.
Vice president Julie Alley said that she’d been attempting to contact area cottage-type businesses with chamber applications.
“The Oroville chamber had a good notice with last year’s application that described how people benefit from the Chamber regardless of whether they are members or not,” she said. “They gave us permission to ‘plagiarize’ that.”
Alley added that a number of businesses had been requesting printed brochures, similar to ones designed last year highlighting area antique dealers, that they could have available describing area businesses and attractions.
Crandall said that the redesign of the Chamber’s website was ongoing.
“I’m excited to get member profiles set up and getting a higher profile,” he said.
In upcoming events, the Kiwanis will be sponsoring a pancake feed at the Senior Center on Saturday, March 17, 8-11 a.m. Cost of the breakfast is $5, with profits going toward funding a leadership conference for Tonasket High School Students interested in forming a Key Club (junior Kiwanis) at the school.
Also, Nancy Nash-Mendez of the Omak Worksource Office said that there would be a job fair May 4 at the East Omak Senior Center.
“We’re in partnership with various organizations throughout the county,” she said. “We’ll be canvassing Tonasket with fliers. Hopefully we can bring out of town commercial-type employees to meet employers.
The Chamber’s next meeting will be Tuesday, March 13.