Camper says vacationers left scrambling after owner decides to close trailer park

Long-term campers at a seasonal RV park in Stanhope, P.E.I., are being forced to pack up their trailers for good after the owner of the site announced this week that the park won't reopen next year. 

"Everyone's upset. We're a little bit heartbroken," said Marilyn Olson, who has been visiting the Sea Sound Trailer Park for almost 10 years.

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It's a seasonal campground, but many people leave their RVs in the same spot year after year. Some tenants have built permanent decks.

Olson said many others at the park have called the place their summer home for decades.

But according to a letter Olson received last week, the campground is closing, leaving her and many of her summer neighbours devastated.

The letter

In the letter, owner Daniel Murphy writes that after 30 years of owning the property, "this year will be the last year of operation for Sea Sound."

Campers have to have their trailers off their lots by July 1 of next year. 

"We know that this decision will not be a popular one, so please be rest assured it was not taken lightly," he writes. 

He writes that the cost of services and infrastructure were becoming too high and that the company has decided "the property would be better served with an alternative use."

'At the end of the season you're scrambling'

Olson said a year's notice may seem like a lot of time, but with so few days left in this year's season, it's been difficult for campers to make alternative arrangements to have trailers moved.

"At the end of the season you're scrambling to make other arrangements," she said.

It's a job made even harder for some who live out of province and have already left the park for the year.

Expensive to move

While Olson said she's been able to secure a location for her trailer next year, the costs of moving are adding up.

"We have to pay to get our trailers hauled, our decks disassembled and moved out, so there are significant costs," she said.

Other tenants in the park have opted to sell their trailers to avoid moving expenses.

Olson acknowledges that Murphy has the right to close the park, but said she wishes tenants were given more notice.

"You're forced to make decisions you haven't prepared for," said Olson. "There's people that have been here for 40 or 50 years. So a little more notice would have been appreciated."

CBC's attempts to reach Daniel Murphy for comment on this story have so far been unsuccessful.

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