DAMASCUS, PA — Damascus residents turned out in force to attend the January 19 public hearing on the proposed conditional-use campground in a residential area along the Delaware River. Neither the icy parking lot, nor overcrowded supervisors meeting room kept worried residents from having their say. Although concerns were many and varied, ranging from trespass and property damage to late-night noise and potential ecological damage, there was one unifying worry: that whatever ordinances were put in place to address those concerns would be unenforceable.

The 10-site campground on Hickory Lane off River Road, owned by Hal and Gladys Kaufmann, would permit recreational vehicles like fifth wheelers and pop-ups, but would not permit tents or motor homes. Sites would be available for 180-day lease through purchase of a $3,000 license, a requirement that Kaufmann contends will tend to discourage transients and troublemakers and attract mature, responsible campers.

Kaufmann and his attorney, Mark Zimmer, spent more than 50 minutes giving testimony and responding to questions from supervisors Jeff Dexter, Joe Canfield, Steve Adams and Damascus Township solicitor Jeff Treat, before responding to questions put to them directly by Damascus residents. More than once, Zimmer explained that the campground, a commercial enterprise, could be operated in an area zoned for residential use because a non-conforming use variance on that property was granted in 1984. However, conditional use stipulation comes with the variance, meaning that the township may impose conditions under which the non-confirming use may occur. The purpose of the hearing was, in part, to determine those conditions and, in part, to clarify campground operating procedures and standards.

Despite Kaufmann’s assurances that weapons, including firearms, crossbows, slingshots, and BB guns, as well as all illegal substances and alcoholic beverages would be prohibited on the campground, residents expressed fears about raucous behavior and late-night revelry by campers. Another concern frequently voiced was lack of trustworthy 24/7 onsite management. Kaufmann’s stated plan was to have one of the campers volunteer as manager, dealing with contingency situations as they arise.

One resident asked Kaufmann if he intends to provide financial support to the already stretched voluntary fire and ambulance services that will be further strained by the population of his campground. But it was another strained rural emergency service that the campground proposal highlighted; again and again, residents pointed out that there is no local law enforcement agency. The area is dependent entirely on Pennsylvania State Police for response to all criminal activity, major and minor. Several residents cited long response wait times, even for high-level threat activity, one woman saying that she had been asked by a state police dispatcher if she owned a gun. When she said yes, the dispatcher advised her to fire a warning shot in the air, because it would be another two to three hours before a trooper would be free to respond to her call.

At the hearing’s conclusion, supervisors announced that all resident comments would be taken into consideration before a decision is made and that no decision would be made that night. Treat advised the supervisors to incorporate resident concerns into conditions of use, saying that failure to do so could result in a round of appeals that drags on for years.