Campground owners want new regulations to address the many changes in the industry. Yet as campground owners like Ahearn updated their properties to meet the needs of modern-day campers, the town's regulations for the businesses remained the same as they were in 1944. Now the town's campground owners, particularly those told recently that their properties violated town laws, want officials to update the local laws governing their industry. Five of Old Orchard's 11 campgrounds are currently before the Planning Board to deal with assertions that they improved or created sites on their property without town approval. Specifically, the town says the campgrounds violated an ordinance that prohibits businesses from bringing 100 cubic yards or more of fill onto one's property, or moving that amount of land, without site-plan review.
Campgrounds are unique based on their size.
Ahearn said 100 yards of fill doesn't go far on a campground with more than 400 sites. James Nagle, the town's building inspector and code officer, said the town visited all 11 campgrounds before sending violation notices to the offenders. During the visits, the town counted the number of campsites and compared the numbers to the number on file at Town Hall. Town records show Wild Acres' 365 sites is 88 more than listed in 1999 licensing information. Records showed Powderhorn had 34 more sites than on file, but Ahearn said the actual number is closer to 15.