The Better Business Bureau is warning about an Anchorage RV rental business.
According to the BBB, B&B RV Rental on the Old Seward Highway near Midtown has racked up numerous complaints over the past few years, all pointing to a troubling pattern of leaving customers with nothing to show for their money.
“Since July 2008, the Better Business Bureau has received over 300 inquiries and 12 complaints about B&B RV Rental,” said BBB spokesperson Tara Sims.
But it’s not the number of complaints that has the Bureau sounding the alarm.
“The key is that the complaints show a pattern of the same type of issues occurring over and over again,” Sims said.
Sims says the problems start when customers first arrive at B&B to pick up an RV.
See the KTUU video for more information and/or read the KTUU article: Anchorage RV rental firm doesn’t make the grade with BBB.
On May 19, 2010, the Ozark Folk Center is pleased to present some Guest Performers on the evening show. The Arkansas Symphony Orchestra will be providing three of their Quartets who will be “Fiddlin’ with the Classics”. The Rockefeller, Sturgis and Quapaw Quartets will join three of the regular Folk Center groups to create a very exciting evening of music. The concert will have a combination of Down-Home Classics and some Classic Down-Home tunes. In addition to the Orchestral Quartets, the show will feature Roger Fountain, Herbin’ League and Smith and Son.
The show will start at 7:00 p.m. with the doors opening at 6:00 p.m.
Ozark Folk Center State Park, Mountain View, Arkansas
Financial woes of another state budget could result in more park closures. An Associated Press report in Business Week says funding proposed in Governor Bobby Jindal’s budget recommendations could prevent a new state park from opening as scheduled and force the closing of other parks.
"We’re going to have to make some tough decisions because we don’t want to thin the soup any more," Johnson said. "It will mean shutting down the parks that don’t have as high visitation so we have the resources to maintain those parks that have higher visitation."
Johnson said the cut would mean the state parks won’t be able to hire maintenance workers, rangers, workers for fee collection stations and other employees needed to run all the parks. Johnson said his office would look at park closures and more limited hours, but he said it was too early to say which parks would be shuttered.
Read the Buisness Week article: Parks chief: La. gov’s budget would force closures.
Campground, Lake Fort Smith State Park, Arkansas, October 20, 2008
Located in a wooded valley in the Boston Mountains of the Arkansas Ozarks, the 259 acre Lake Fort Smith State Park reopened in the late Spring of 2008 four miles north of its original location, which was closed in early January, 2002. As a park reborn, with totally new facilities, it has 30 camp sites, a group lodging facility, picnic sites, a pavilion, marina with rental boats, a double lane boat ramp, a swimming pool, playground, and an 8,000 square foot visitor center with exhibit gallery, gift shop, a meeting/class room, a patio with an outdoor wood burning fireplace, and a great view of the lake and mountains. Activities for visitors include camping, fishing, kayaking, canoeing, backpacking, boating, hiking and mountain biking. The park borders lands of the Ozark National Forest.
(click on image for larger version)
Park information
Gallery: Lake Fort Smith State Park
See more of our Image Galleries at Haw Creek.
In today’s hard economic times, closing state parks seems to be a remedy that many states have used or are considering. A Las Vegas Sun article says Nevada legislators are considering closing all of the state parks in Nevada.
The Nevada Legislature is thinking of closing state parks as it considers how to patch an estimated $900 million budget gap, a move that would save a few million dollars while killing the economies of rural towns and stunting tourism efforts across the state, opponents of the idea say.
Gov. Jim Gibbons has suggested a 10 percent budget reduction for a number of agencies, including the State Parks Division. But the Interim Finance Committee could take that a step further. At its meeting in Las Vegas on Thursday, the committee is expected to consider following the lead of cash-strapped states such as California and Arizona, that have closed some or all of their state parks.
In Nevada, the proposal is the brainchild of Senate Majority Leader Steven Horsford, D-Las Vegas, who says he is considering shutting down all state parks to save money.
Read the entire article: Would closing state parks to save money do more harm than good?
Press release from Governor Patterson and Commissioner Ash:
The Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation (OPRHP) today put forward a recommended list of closures and service reductions in order to achieve its 2010-11 agency savings target and help address the State’s historic fiscal difficulties.
Governor David A. Paterson issued the following statement:
"New York faces an historic fiscal crisis of unprecedented magnitude. It has demanded many difficult but necessary decisions to help ensure the fiscal integrity of our State. The unfortunate reality of closing an $8.2 billion deficit is that there is less money available for many worthy services and programs. In an environment when we have to cut funding to schools, hospitals, nursing homes, and social services, no area of State spending, including parks and historic sites, could be exempt from reductions. We cannot mortgage our State’s financial future through further gimmicks or avoidance behavior. Spending cuts, however difficult, are needed in order to put New York on the road to fiscal recovery. Going forward through the budget process, I look forward to a productive dialogue with the Legislature on parks and historic sites, as well as other issues."
OPRHP Commissioner Carol Ash issued the following statement:
"The 2010-11 Executive Budget included reductions to every area of State spending. As such, the Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation has today put forward proposed closures and service reductions to meet its agency savings target. These actions were not recommended lightly, but they are necessary to address our State’s extraordinary fiscal difficulties."
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A fact sheet on the proposed closures and service reductions is included below:
The Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation (OPRHP) today put forward a list of closures and service reductions in order to achieve its proposed 2010-11 agency savings target and help address the State’s historic fiscal difficulties. As part of a comprehensive plan to close an $8.2 billion deficit, the 2010-11 Executive Budget included necessary cost reductions to each executive State agency, as well as cuts to education, health care, social services, and every other area of State spending.
OPRHP’s plan includes the closure of 41 parks and 14 historic sites, and service reductions at 23 parks and 1 historic site.
The plan also assumes $4 million in park and historic site fee increases that will be identified at a later date, and the use of $5 million in funds from the Environmental Protection Fund (EPF) to finance OPRHP operations. These two actions were part of the 21-day amendments to the Executive Budget and are intended to reduce the number of parks and historic sites subject to closures and service reductions.
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A proposed $20 million New York state budget cut will likely result in closure of New York state parks. A Saratoga Springs Saratogian report says that state parks, already hit hard by previous cuts, are in peril from further cuts.
“Every region will be impacted. It’s not just small, fringe sites. Some of the largest parks might close because they’re the most expensive to operate — Jones Beach, Niagara Falls.”
Unfortunately, possible closings come at a time when people need parks most. Last year, statewide usage increased by2 million visits — from 54 million to 56 million — as residents sought inexpensive, close-to-home vacations. This year, Moreau Lake State Park’s campgrounds are already booked most weekends.
“When times are tough, people use state parks,” said Julie Stokes of Greenfield, former deputy state commissioner for operations. “The impact would be very large. A ton of people from Troy use Grafton Lakes. They bus kids out there. That park is absolutely jammed, seven days a week.”
Read more in the Saratogian: Proposed state budget imperils state parks
If you’re from Texas or interested in camping in Texas, TexasCampgrounds.com has undergone a major revision.
THE #1 website for RV parks and campgrounds in the great state of Texas just got better! Perhaps the most improved feature on TexasCampgrounds.com is also the most used – the Find a Park page. Now you can refine your search more than ever by browsing for parks that are a specific mileage from a great attraction or separating parks by those that only have Wi-Fi or even looking by parks with special deals. To find a park with one click, just use the ‘Quick Search’ function on the left
The new TexasCampgrounds.com has also kept the great features and tools of before, including online ordering of the 2010 edition of the award winning RV Travel & Camping Guide to Texas plus the ongoing Gas Card contest
Check ‘em out if you’re camping in Texas!
![SymphonyOFC2[1]](http://www.hawcreekoutdoors.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/SymphonyOFC21.jpg "SymphonyOFC2[1]")
Update: Arizona State Parks to Close
January 16, 2010According to major news sources, including the Los Angeles Times, The New York Times, and The Washington Post, major budget shortfalls in Arizona will result in the closure of 13 state parks by June. Eight others have already been closed. The Los Angeles Times: The action represents the largest closure of state parks in the [...]