Inspections Results Awaited Regarding Bass Lake Beach and Campground

The Starke County Commissioners are eagerly awaiting the results of the state inspection conducted at the Bass Lake Beach and Campground, and according to Commissioner Kathy Norem, those results should be in before their next commissioners meeting, planned for Monday, Aug. 19. She said the campground had previously been cited for a number of sanitary violations but campground management claims they have corrected those. Since then, a number of other violations sprung up, and those, too, are claimed to have been corrected.

Now, Norem said they’re awaiting the results of a state inspection conducted early last week to determine whether or not those violations have been adequately addressed.

Another topic of concern, according to Norem, is the campground’s innkeeper tax payment. While the tax payment has been filed, Norem said there is a concern that the campground doesn’t have the proper amenities required for its long-term campsites. The campground’s innkeeper tax payment indicated that the majority of their campers are long-term and exempt from the innkeeper’s tax, but these sites require a number of toilets and restrooms, raising the question of whether or not the campground meets this criteria.

Richard Callahan, who has a lease with the county through 2018 to run the campground, was also asked by the commissioners to provide in writing what the plan for the campground will be in the winter regarding their long-term rentals, and Norem said the commissioners expect that to be provided at their next meeting.