Maine Campgrounds For Sale

Campgrounds face uncertainty

YORK, Maine — No one yet knows how a new direct connector road from Route 1 to York Beach will affect the small coastal village of Short Sands, but town planners are already gearing up for prospective new development by controlling zoning in the 300-plus vacant acres surrounding the new road and York's Wild Kingdom.

Campgrounds comprise two large land holdings in the area. The commercial land is vulnerable to sale, as attested by the two campground owners this week who said they each fielded offers this year to sell their properties. Both told the potential buyers they were not interested, they said.

Judy Woods, owner of Burnette's Campground, said she didn't know what type of use was intended when a man offered to buy the estimated 150-site campground located next to York's Wild Kingdom on Railroad Avenue. Every year she and her husband, David Woods, get offers to sell, she said.

"This will always be a campground," David Woods said. "We have a lot of families who come here."

The campground has been in his family for years, according to Woods, who has said he intends to have his children carry on that tradition.

Up the street off Main Street, York Beach Camper Park owner Diane Spear said she told a potential buyer this year to get back into his car when he told her, "'everything has a price,'" she said.

Spear owns four acres of 46 campsites, and 58 adjacent acres of backland next to York's Wild Kingdom. The backland is close to the planned new town road but will not directly abut it.

York Beach Camper Park has been in her family for more than 100 years, said Spear, who now runs it with her daughter, Jennifer, 23. It doesn't make a ton of money, she said, but added she would never sell it nor the back acreage.

"We love all our customers," she said. "I don't want to. I don't have neighbors or houses; we're happy."

Both Burnette's and York Beach Camper Park are within walking distance to Short Sands Beach.

Other oceanfront campgrounds in the area include Cape Neddick Oceanside Camping, which rents tent space nightly and only seasonal space to RVs; and Libby's and Eaton's, campgrounds across Route 1A from each other near Long Sands Beach.

The campground owners call each other when they have no space left to rent, Spear said. Too often, she added, she directs people and tourist dollars north to Wells because all area campgrounds are full, she said.

campgrounds for sale | nhcampgrounds.com

Being sued for contract dispute in wagon trail resort campgrounds where I was pressed into signing a contract by misrepresentation of winning a car, then was hard pressed by sales person into signing a campground contract that I never used nor changed my mind about three days after signing it. I feel that the campground did a bait and switch and now am trying to defend myself against their attorney’s who are saying that I owe over $6,000.00 for something that I never used nor agreed to purchase, but nevertheless I signed the contract after being pressed into it. What are my options here besides defending myself as best I can

If you signed the contract upon the misrepresentation of winning an automobile (when in reality there was no chance at all you could have won), then the resort would be guilty of obtaining a signature under false pretenses, and the contract would be void.

Being “hard pressed” into signing a contract is not a real defense. By the nature of democratic government, adult humans must be assumed to be intelligent adults, in control of themselves and responsible for their own actions. Unless the sales agent coerced you into signing the contract under actual threat of violence, then the contract is binding.

Determining whether or not there was a misrepresentation could require a bit of investigation, and it might get complicated.

I must urge you again to hire a lawyer. I am all in favor of people learning the law, but when you are being sued is not the time to learn. The type of questions you are asking indicate that you do not understand enough about legal procedure to defend yourself adequately. The case could get away from you, and you could end up owing more money. Get a lawyer.

One important thing: When you hire a lawyer, you must ask them whether they think you are responsible, and whether they believe the case can be won. If you just walk into a lawyer’s office and say “defend me against these charges”, then they will do their best, even if they know you will lose. Be sure to get their opinion about whether the you can win the case. If they say that winning the case is impossible, then you should instruct your lawyer to settle and cut your losses.

Living Water’s Development Fall 2010 BY www.southeastmarinamarket.