East Texas

By BETTY WATERS
Staff Writer

GLADEWATER -- An RV park taking shape on Loop 485 will be unique and a drawing card for RV'ers to stop here and shop Gladewater, as well as take sightseeing and shopping trips to neighboring East Texas cities, developers say.

Larry Seery, half owner of L&M Construction, can't explain why he always thought he would like to have an RV park, although he says he often thought it would be nice for Gladewater to have one.

When land became available on Loop 485 South through an acquaintance, Seery purchased it and teamed up with a new partner, Bennie Cornutt, owner of B&B Antiques, and together they started development of Antique Capital RV Park, estimated to cost "over a million dollars."

Seery said, "We tried to do this where everything is topnotch and we are trying to make it one of the elite parks in this area." Cornutt added, "We feel like this will be one of the top-rated facilities."

It is the first RV park constructed in Gladewater and Phase 1 is nearing completion, carved out of a forest, although as many trees as possible were kept. "It will be very attractive," Cornutt said.

RV'ers will be able to make reservations on the park's seven-page Web site on the Internet and select their parking space. A sign out front will welcome them by name as they approach the park.

Phase 1 consists of 35 parking places, but the park will have 105 when the second and third phases are finished in 30 to 45 days, depending on the weather. The park will initially cover 17 or 18 acres of a 22-acre tract, leaving room for construction of 50 more parking spaces later if the park "really blossoms and does well," Seery said.

Since Seery has an RV, he plans to address in-the-park problems he knows firsthand that RV'ers often encounter in many other parks.

Antique Capital RV Park will have a big entryway -- 45-foot wide -- that will be easy for RVs to drive through.

To facilitate leveling of RVs, the park will feature concrete, numbered parking slabs of various sizes -- a few 30-foot slabs for small rigs, 40-foot slabs and even 50-footers.

"We have adequate parking for just anybody. We have gravel roads; we've made radiuses that are easy to get around," Seery said. "Everything has been designed with the idea of somebody pulling a big trailer or perhaps a big motor home."

The park's layout will eliminate backing to exit a parking slab, as drivers will be able to pull forward instead of backing out. Beside each parking slab will be a concrete patio with picnic table. There will be 25 feet of grassy area between parked RV's and neighbors, providing plenty of room for them to sit in lawn chairs and move around.

Each parking space or lot will have hookups for electricity, water and even sewer service, making it unnecessary for RV'ers to drive to a dump station to empty their tank. Every lot has all the services," Seery said.

Lots are designed to furnish 40 amp, 50 amp, 30 amp and 110 amps of electricity, "so we can accommodate any kind of electrical needs they have," Seery said.

Wireless access to the Internet will be available via a signal from a tower on the grounds. For entertainment, RVers will be able to fish at a pond stocked with catfish, and throw their catches back. There will also be an outside pavilion and a covered outdoor theater/stage with amphitheater type sitting, where people can bring lawn chairs to events, such as performances by a Gospel group or a western band.

Upon pulling into the park, RVers will see a large activity center -- a 75 foot long by 50 foot wide multipurpose structure.

Inside are the park's main office and a miniature convenience store, stocked with milk, orange juice, sodas, ice cream bars, bread and other items to meet their needs. "We hope we will have enough things that they don't have to run (to a store) and get something," Cornutt said.

The facility will have a launder mat with three washers, three dryers and seven ceramic tile restrooms -- four with showers and dressing area, accessible from the outside, and three interior restrooms to service a 3,500-foot room where park developers plan entertainment for RV'ers.

While the activity room may be used to host occasional community banquets and meetings, its main purpose will be to accommodate RV'ers.

There will be tables and chairs where RV'ers can watch movies and eat popcorn two nights a week. One night per week will feature karaoke singing and dancing, although one corner will have a stage for a band and performances by other local talent.

Park developers plan to offer three-day packages to RV'ers featuring excursions each day to area attractions. For example, one day might feature shopping in the Gladewater antique district, another day offer a trip to Kilgore to the oil museum and Rangerettes museum and the third day's activity might be a trip to Tyler to the rose garden, Caldwell Zoo and shopping.

Upon returning to the park, they would be served a meal in the activity center, perhaps catfish or barbecue, and there might be a dance.

"We are trying to make it as enjoyable as we can for them," Cornutt said.

The park will cater to all types of RV'ers. They could be individuals or couples arriving in a single RV or groups traveling in motor homes in caravans, whose members want to park close together and visit. Developers expect a lot of the trade will be people who come by, spend the night and go on. Some could be semi-permanent people, such as construction workers in the area on a job, who will live in the park two or three months.

The park "just fits" with Gladewater's antique businesses, Cornutt said. "We see lots of motor homes and trailers coming through, so we're giving them a place they can stay for a day and hopefully three or four days and also have something to do while they are here."

For the town, the RV park will be like have new houses and new residents contributing to the economy, Seery said in predicting it will increase business for restaurants, grocery stores and service stations. Cornutt anticipates that it may spark more development on the loop around the town.

The park will have an on-site manager's office and employ three persons regularly, plus relief people.