In this issue:

Chairmans Report 2

Presidents Report 2

CONY App 3

Exposition Highlights

5

Updated Board of Directors List

9

Legislative Report 12

Our VISION:

Campground Owners of New York (CONY) will be the model campground association by providing

professionalism and diversity in our programs, education,

services, advocacy and support for continued growth

and collaboration within the outdoor hospitality industry.

Our MISSION:

Campground Owners of New York (CONY) is an association dedicated to the promotion, growth,

improvement and development of privately owned

campgrounds in New York State.

nycampgrounds.com campcony.com

Volume 34, Issue 5 Nov / Dec 2011

See more Exposition highlights and photos starting on page #

Mike Papp, owner of West Canada Creek Campsites in Poland, New York, was elected by the membership to the chair-manship of the CONY board of direc-tors, during the associations annual meet-ing held November 5, 2011, at the Con-ference & Event Center, Niagara Falls, New York.

The annual meeting took place during CONYs 48th Annual Exposition for the Outdoor Hospitality Industry, held No-vember 3 to 5, 2011.

Mike takes over the gavel from Scott Sherwood, owner of Spruce Row Camp-ground & RV Park in Ithaca, New York, who stepped down after four years in the position. Scott will now serve on the CONY Board of Directors as Immediate Past Chairman.

In praising the outgoing chairman, Mike remarked, I want to thank Scott for be-ing a great leader and a hard working member of our industry. His leadership brought about many changes including our new logo, our Long Range Plan and a renewed vibe at CONY.

Mike has served on the CONY Board of Directors since 2007, first as the Region 6 representative, and most recently as 3rd Vice Chairman. He led the Governance Committee which worked on issues and projects related to membership, by-laws, nominations, and policies and procedures.

He also chaired the Long Range Commit-tee, which recently spent 18 months pro-ducing a comprehensive strategic plan for CONY that now guides the associations many functions. As Board Chairman, hell lead the Executive Committee, which in-cludes oversight of personnel, and ways and means.

According to Mike, It is an honor to be entrusted by my fellow campground own-ers as the Chairperson of CONY. I look forward to working with everyone to con-tinue the great things that Scott, Don and the Board of Directors have started over the past four years as well as working hard to continue growing CONY both in memberships as well as membership benefits, and to keep increasing the value of the Association our members.

(Exposition highlights continued on page 5)

Mike Papp elected as CONY chairman

Mike Papp, left, and Scott Sherwood, right, passing the gavel from one chairman to the next.

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Chairmans Report

My fellow CONY members:

I know many of you but there are quite a few that I have yet to meet so I would like to tell you a bit about myself. My wife Sandy and I own West Canada Creek Campsite in Po-land, NY 11 miles north of

Utica. We purchased the park in 2005 and have just completed our 7th season and I love it more every year. I have worked in the Hospitality Business my entire life starting in the restaurant business for 17 years. Sandy and I took a couple of years off to workcamp and see if this crazy Campground busi-ness was something we wanted to become involved with well I loved it working outdoors, working with people, fixing things, making things and yes, even cleaning out the clogged sewer drain that some uninformed camper plugged up with something they

shouldnt have put down there was just plain fun. So, we invested our small fund in property in the Outer Banks and lived there for five years where I worked for a Vacation Rental Company as the Vice President of Marketing and General Manager. This is where my two wonderful boys Hunter and Jarrett joined our family. After selling our home in the Outer Banks, we ended up in Central New York. Many have questioned my sanity, including my wife but I love the area, the five seasons (did you forget Mud Sea-son?) and the people the very friendly people of New York.

Scott I want to thank you for being a great leader and a hard working member of our industry. Your leadership brought about many changes including our new logo, our Long Range Plan and a renewed vibe at CONY.

(Chairmans Report continued on page 15)

Mike Papp

From the Desk of the President and CEO

As we approach 2012 and I look in the rearview mirror on 2011 it definitely was an eventful year. The camping season seemed to almost be 3 and 4 seasons rolled into one.

As Memorial Day approached we had well above average

rainfalls making camping in some areas much wetter than normal, to say the least. The months of June, July and the first part of August saw summer-like conditions in many places and above-average occu-pancy levels helping level off what was lost in the rain soaked May and Memorial Day weekends. Then at the middle of August the economy finally seemed to affect the camping industry as the stock market wor-ries and consumer confidence seemed to be very low. Hurricane Irene and other large storms severely dam-aged several member parks and the devastation was unbelievable. The parks that I visited and multiple pictures and news releases that I saw were just be-

yond belief. The storms were so severe that even large parts of the New York State Thruway were closed to traffic due to flooding. The one thing to be thankful for is that at the campgrounds no severe in-juries were reported. I think most would agree that 2011 camping season has been a challenge. I am ex-cited for the prospect of what the 2012 camping sea-son might provide and am looking forward to its arri-val already.

Looking back at the 48th Annual Exposition (as we now call the convention) I would like to extend a big thank you to the entire exposition committee. With-out your hard work the expo would not have gone as smoothly and successfully. I want to recognize a cou-ple of individuals for their major contributions; Rose-mary Curtis did a remarkable jobeven filling in to do a seminar when we had a late cancellation from a speaker. I also want to thank Wayne Schleder for run-ning our exposition hall. Over the past several years

(President and CEO Report continued on page 11)

Donald G. Bennett, Jr.

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Unveiling the new CONY App for Smart Phones:

At the Exposition for the Outdoor Hospitality Indus-try, CONY President and CEO Don Bennett, Jr. and AppFury co-founder Eric Hinman unveiled the pre-liminary concepts for the new CONY Application (also known as app) for smart phones and other mobile devices.

Smart phone users will be able to download the newAND FREEapplication (app) for the NY Campground and RV Park Guide. This Guide brings the CONY campground members to the fin-ger tips of mobile device users so they can find re-search, contact and make reservations with camp-grounds just through the ease of their phone, or while theyre on the move and in their travels.

So, what is a mobile app? According to the descrip-tion on Webopedia.com, a mobile application (or mo-bile app, in its more popular shorthand), is a term used to describe internet applica-tions that can run on smart-phones and other mobile devices. Mobile applications usually help users by con-necting them to internet services more commonly accessed on desktop or

notebook computers, or help them by making it eas-ier to use the internet on their portable devices.

CONY campgrounds, as formatted for the NY Campground and RV Park Guide, will be accessible by users that download the app from their app stores for the following devices: iPhone, iPod, iPad, Black-berry, and Android. The app will be free to download.

One neat feature of the app is the inclusion of dis-tances to the campground, from the location of the mobile device. So a user traveling through the state and seeking nearby campgrounds will have a distance to park displayed next to the park name in the direc-tory.

Also, users can easily click on telephone numbers to talk directly to the park, or click on links to go di-rectly to the parks webpage and reservation page, and book directly through their phone.

CONY is working with AppFury out of Syracuse, NY. Co-Founders Eric Hinman (yes, that Eric Hin-man of Oswego Valley Mutual and Hinman & Asso-ciates) and Steve VonDeak organized AppFury in the Fall of 09 with the first item of business being the conceptualization and development of their own hy-per-local location-based line of iPhone apps marketed under their inmypocket brand name. AppFury re-leased SOHOinmypocket just a few months later to great acclaim and was featured by Apple as New and Noteworthy.

In less than a year, AppFury emerged as a premier app developer and positioned itself as the go-to shop in Up-state NY. This position and title was solidified with CenterState CEO, central NYs largest business development organization, selecting AppFury to build its flagship mobile prod-uct, Creative Core Con-nect.

The CONY app will be set to go online at app stores around the first of the year, and at that time you can download it for yourself. Be sure to share the apps availability with your campers!

Opportunities will be available for advertising and listing upgrades on the app. Stay tuned for details.

The CONY app button as it will appear in the various app stores.

Screenshot of a sample camp-ground listing as seen on the CampNYGuide app for mobile devices.

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Quality Sunrooms, Awnings & EnclosuresQuality Sunrooms, Awnings & EnclosuresQuality Sunrooms, Awnings & Enclosures

H. Peter Burkert Silver-Top Manufacturing Co., Inc. Senior Vice President PO Box 225, White Marsh, MD 21162-0225 Toll Free: (800) 638-6960 Local: (410) 335-5500 www.silver-top.com Fax: (410) 335-664

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Exposition Highlights

Donald G. Bennett, Jr., President and CEO of CONY, said, I am looking forward to working with Mike and the entire CONY board to continue fulfill-ing the mission of CONY and to help realize our vi-sion of being the leader in the outdoor hospitality industry.

Mike and his wife Sandy, parents to sons Hunter and Jarrett, just completed their seventh season operating West Canada Creek Campsites, an 85-site park along the banks of the West Canada Creek, in the town of Poland, Oneida County, New York. Mike has over 30 years experience in the service and hospitality indus-try, including 17 years in the restaurant industry, which culminated in his position as a multi-unit su-pervisor overseeing 10 restaurants. After deciding to become part of the outdoor hospitality industry, he and Sandy spent two years as full-time RVers and served as Workampers, investigating the business. After a few more years working in the vacation rental business on Hatteras Island where he rose to the position of Vice President of Marketing and General Manager of Surf or Sound Realty, they sold their home in 2004 and purchased their campground.

Mike ran for chairman pledging to ensure that the value members get is increased through better mem-bership programs, conferences, and zone meetings, and that the board of directors does a better job of communicating with the membership. He was sworn in November 5th, during the awards banquet held at the Exposition, and chaired his first board meeting on November 6th.

Randy Lehman Inducted into CONY Hall of Fame during Exposition Awards Banquet

Randy Lehman, owner of Hickory Hill Family Camp-ing Resort, was joined by campground staff and his daughter Maria, as he became the 14th person in-ducted into CONYs Hall of Fame during the 48th Annual CONY Exposition for the Outdoor Hospital-ity Industry.

Exposition chairwoman Rosemary CurtisHickory

Hills Operations Manageralong with CONY Presi-dent and CEO Don Bennett, Jr., kicked off the in-duction by reading several letters of commendation and congratulations from fellow HOF members, campers, legislators and Governor Andrew Cuomo. Letter readers also included Hall of Fame members Barb Lighthall and Mark Anderson. During the in-duction, a slide show highlighting of Randys accom-plishments played onscreen. The ceremony con-cluded with the presentation of a plaque and a heart-felt speech by Randy.

Hall of Fame members are nominated based on crite-ria including: at least 8 years of CONY membership, CONY Board service, operation of a quality camp-ground, contributions to CONY/camping industry, involvement in NYS tourism, community involve-ment, and other service (paid or voluntary) in CONY. Nominations are considered by the CONY board.

Marketing Awards Presented to Three CONY Campgrounds at Exposition

Congratulations to the members with the winning submissions for CONYs annual Marketing Awards, announced at the Exposition Awards Banquet on Saturday, November 5th.

(Continued from page 1)

(Highlights Continued on page 6)

CONY Hall of Fame members, left to Right: Gil Paddock, Randy Lehman, Barb Lighthall, Ed Lighthall, Mark Anderson.

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Exposition highlights

The 2011 CONY Marketing Award Winners are:

Best Website: Lake George RV Park, Lake George.

Best Simple Brochure: Jones Pond Campground, Angelica

Best Mailer Piece: Chautauqua Lake KOA, Dewittville

To submit your marketing piece for the 2012 CONY Marketing Awards, look for the form in your 2012 CONY member binder coming next Spring.

Educational Seminars (and a little Zumba each morning) kept attendees informed and energized

The CONY staff working the front desk at the Expo-sition were privy to a lot of anecdotal comments by attendees in between seminar sessions, and the gen-eral feedback was really positive overall.

The wide-ranging topics included: First Aid Certifica-tion, Employment Practices, Adventure Systems Res-ervation System, Man Cave Topics, Hot Amenities/

Themes/Activities, Accounting for Campgrounds, ADA, E-Blast Marketing, Partnering and Packaging, Secrets to Keeping Customers Happy, and a heart-pumping Zumba fitness dance class each morning, led by Laurie Bulluck of Rainbow Shores Campsites. Certified Park Operator credits were earned by atten-dees for their presence at these seminars.

Many thanks and much appreciation goes out to our excellent presenters, including: Karen Adams, Philadelphia Insurance Companies Patrick Curtis, Bath Veterans Administration Medical Cen-ter Rosemary Curtis, CPO, Hickory Hill Family Camping Re-sort Bren Jobe, Corporate Communications, Inc. Francis Fritz Loomis, Loomis Chainsaw Artworks Ed Marden, Camp Bell Campground Matthew Mitchell, Corporate Communications, Inc. Ruby Newell-Legner, RubySpeaks, Inc. (also our keynote luncheon speaker) Gil Paddock, Deer River Campsite Bill Perry, Chautauqua Lake KOA Gary Reinard, Copake KOA Clyde Taylor, Taylor Communications Todd Vaarwerk, WNY Independent Living, Inc.

(Continued from page 5)

(Continued on page 7)

Left to right: New CONY Chairman Mike Papp, Exposition Chairperson Rosemary Curtis, Anita & Bill Perry with grandson

Elijah, CONY President and CEO Don Bennett, Jr., and Past CONY Chairman Scott Sherwood. The Perry family of

Chautauqua Lake KOA accept their award for Best Mailer Piece during the 48th Annual Exposition.

Ed Marden, CONY Treasurer and owner of Camp Bell Campground, leads a seminar on Accounting for Campgrounds.

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Exhibitors brought many exciting products and services to the Exposition

In keeping with the Exposition theme of CONY-opoly, a play on the Monopoly board game, exhibi-tors were positioned around the conference hall in the form of a giant Monopoly board. Conference at-tendees had fun visiting with exhibitors and collecting Community Chest and Chance cards, and mak-ing connections with business operators that could help their campgrounds thrive.

Holders of Community Chest cards could claim a key to try and open a locked prize chest. The winners, Chuck and Suzanne Gouin of Willows on the Lake Campground, claimed a new Kindle reader. Holders of the Chance cards were part of a drawing of gifts and services from the Niagara Region, won by Bill and Anita Perry of Chautauqua Lake KOA.

The Exposition was a great success, due to the par-ticipation of our exhibitors and sponsors, including: Platinum Sponsors: Evergreen USA Jones & Doldo Agency, LLC

Gold Sponsors: Kampgrounds of America, Inc. (KOA) Trailer Life Wilcor International Woodalls

Silver Sponsors: Go 4 It Graphics Hinman & Associates LLC Jamestown Advanced Products Corp.

Bronze Sponsors: AppFury Danielle Windus Cook Properties LLC Dunton Commercial Properties JMF Publishing Kings Supply McNeil Adven-Sure Shades Under the Sun Talent House Advertising W.S. Emerson

Also: Adventure Systems LLC Andersons Brochure Distri-bution Aurora Snax, Inc. Berg USA Ber-National Controls Breckenridge Park Trailers Cavco Industries, Inc. Dura-Bilt Products, Inc. Gerber Manufacturing Greater Lakes EZ Dock Loomis Chainsaw Art Works Mission Management Systems Mod-U-Dock Nexu Innovations, Inc. Prime Karts Silver-Top Mfg., Co. Strait Web Solutions Suburban Propane Tees Plus Telemode Todd Harris Company

Additional Exposition Highlights:

The CONY Auction raised $16,196.00 Details about CONYs new mobile application,

or app were unveiled by Eric Hinman of AppFury, the company creating the app. (More details about the app available on page 3 of this newslet-ter.)

(Continued from page 6)

Exposition highlights

Wayne Schleder of Meadow-Vale Campsites chats with Roxi Baxley of Strait Web Solutions. A big THANK

YOU to Wayne, who coordi-nates the exhibition hall and helps the exhibitors with all

their on-site needs.

Attendees enjoy lunch and a keynote address on customer service by Ruby Newell-Legner.

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First Time Expo Attendees React

Children enjoyed the CONY Kids Club, adults appreciated the learning opportunities

Dear Don,

My family and I were first time attendees at the CONY expo in Niagara Falls this November. The CONY kids club exceeded my expectations. My chil-dren are 11 and 8 and when I first mentioned bring-ing them to Niagara Falls for a trade show (sorry, expo), I was met with resistance. This did not sound like a good time to my children. Even after showing them the kids schedule and all the fun things they would be doing, they were both still skeptical. On the very first day, they were warmly welcomed and their fears of being treated like new-comers or outsid-ers were gone. They instantly made new friends and had many stories to tell me at the end of each day. We also had no problem settling them down for bed at night. I think they were asleep before their heads hit the pillow. The ladies running the kids club did a fantastic job. When my youngest returned to school on Monday and went to writing class, his teacher told me he sat down and wrote a four page story about his time with CONY. If you knew my son, you would understand what an accomplishment that is.

During the exposition and trade show, I was equally impressed. I have been to trade shows in the past and was expecting something similar, but the camara-derie I saw between campground owners surprised me. Everyone was very open and friendly, sharing ideas and experiences. This didnt seem like a group of people in the same business and essentially com-peting with one another. The seminars I attended were informative and fun and I left Niagara Falls ex-cited and ready to get started on next season. The Hot Amenities, Themes & Activities seminar gave me so many great ideas and insights that I have been working on our 2012 activity schedule since we got home. The seminar on the Adventure Systems eased some of my fears and I am ready to tackle that this coming year as well. I loved visiting with all the ven-dors to see what they had to offer and Ruby Newell-Legner was fantastic, both in her seminar and as the Keynote Speaker on Friday. I cant imagine the

amount of work Rosemary must have put into this expo, but it showed, right down to the smallest of details. I am looking forward to working, learning and growing with CONY and I dont think I will have any trouble convincing the children to join me at next years conference.

Vickie Ingalls Lake Bluff Campground

(Vickie and her husband Mike attended the Exposition with Lake Bluff Campground Owners Gregg and Kelly Nicholls).

Thank you to Raul Ferreira for taking photographs during the Exposition!

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Zone Meetings: Plan to Attend! Wed tell you to mark your calendars, but we already did! CONY members will receive a nice calendar with this newsletter, with important/interesting dates marked out, including the Zone Meetings, Shows (where CONY has a booth), and the Exposition. So, dont forget and please plan to attend one of the following Zone Meetings coming near your this spring! 2012 CONY Zone Meetings: March 27 Lake George, NY March 28 Kingston, NY March 29 Syracuse, NY March 30 Batavia, NY Details for registering (both campgrounds and exhibi-tors) and specific locations will come soon after the first of the year.

CONY Board of Directors: Updated configuration With voting within each region, and with the election held at the CONY annual membership meeting, there are some *new faces on the 2012 board of directors, as well as some *old faces holding new positions.

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE:

Chairman: *Mike Papp, West Canada Creek Campsites (replacing Scott Sherwood)

1st Vice Chair: Bill Perry, Chautauqua Lake KOA

2nd Vice Chair: Laurie Bulluck, Rainbow Shores Campsite

3rd Vice Chair: *Gregg Nicholls, Lake Bluff Campground (replacing Mike Papp, now Chairperson)

Treasurer: Ed Marden, Camp Bell Campground

Secretary: Rachel Kaiser, Medina/Wildwood Lake KOA

Past President: *Scott Sherwood, CPO, Spruce Row Campground & RV Park (replacing Janine Paddock, Deer River Campsite)

REGIONAL DIRECTORS

Region 1: Matt Anderson, Camp Chautauqua

Region 2: Robert Kaiser, Medina/Wildwood Lake KOA

Region 3: Rosemary Curtis, CPO, Hickory Hills Family Camping Resort

Region 4: *Carl Carlson, Cheerful Valley Campground (replacing Gregg Nicholls, now 3rd Vice Chairperson)

Region 5: Truman Hartshorn, Lebanon Reservoir Campground

Region 6: Richard Heath, Ta-Ga-Soke Campground

Region 7: *Tammie Standford, Bedford Creek Marina & Campground (replacing David Powelczyk, Back Bay Camp-ground, now Region 7 alternate)

Region 8: Gilbert Paddock, Deer River Campsite

Region 9: Pat Green, Ledgeview Village RV Park

Region 10: Kimberly Foro, Whispering Pines Campsites & RV Park

Region 11: Doug Brown, Nickerson Park

Region 12: Joe Leto, Brook n Wood Family Campground

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Be awarenot afraidof new ADA guidelines

As you should all be aware, there are new Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) guidelines coming into effect for 2012, but you need not be afraid. Though a lot of our member camp-grounds are getting a lot of "scare" mail from vendors (including our campground), here is what you need to know.

Those of you who didn't have a chance to sit in on the "ADA & your park" seminar of our recent expo in Niagara Falls with Todd Vaarwerk, (Todd is the director of advocacy and public policy for Western N.Y. Independent Living Inc.), the new guide-lines are applicable only when making significant changes in your park. For example, if you are adding more sites, yes you have to make a percentage of them ADA accessible. If you are adding cabins, yes you need to have an ADA accessible cabin (1 for every 25 cab-ins).

The newly revised ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) September 2010 (effective date March 14, 2012) as they related to certain recreation elements (swimming

pools and play areas) in existing facilities that were not addressed in the 1991 standards are not grandfathered per the new regulations. As it relates to Swimming and Lifts, Ramps, the new ADA regulations requires that you remove architectural barriers in exist-ing facilities when it is readily achievable to do so. Readily Achievable means easily accomplished without much difficulty or expense. This will depend on your own situation and business. Also please remember that even though the NYS Department of Health will not be enforcing the ADA rules or regulations they do need to be consulted if you are moving ahead and installing a lift, ramp or make any modification to your swimming pool.

There are advantages to making ADA changes, as there is over $5000.00 in tax credits available towards im-provements on your federal tax return. Please consult your tax adviser for further details. Remember if you are changing it, what ever it is, it may need to be made ADA compliant. The simple way we are doing it at our campground, is when changing the concrete in front of our rec hall, we will be installing ramped concrete 1-inch rise per lineal foot of run (tax credit). We are in-stalling new locksets on our rec hall, and will install an ADA lever handle (tax credit). Though we hope to enlarge our store, it gets more involved with aisle width, counter height etc. We are hiring an architect for that.

Todd Vaarwerk said he will be available to assist CONY in the future.

Additionally, contact Bill Botton, US Access Board, (800) 872-2253. He can speak to you about your spe-cific situation His agencys website also provides helpful webinars: www.access-board.gov.

The Department of Justice can be consulted, too. www.ada.gov or (800) 514-0301.

The US Access Board is the rule-making body, and the Dept. of Justice approves the rules and is also the en-forcement arm.

So remember be awarenot afraidof the new ADA guidelines.

Thanks,

Gregg Nicholls/Lake Bluff Campground

Gregg Nicholls, CONY 3rd Vice Chairman, Lake

Bluff Campground

ProvidingQualityProtectionforyourCampgrounds

8008367860www.calbranch.com

JanePeersJenelleAdemovic

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From the Desk of the President and CEO

Wayne has really done a fantastic job of keeping everyone happy and always going above and beyond what is asked of him.

Special thanks to Scott Sherwood our outgoing chairman for honor-ing me with the Chairmans Award. I generally dont do well with public recognition and when I caught wind of the award (keep in mind that one of my tasks is get-ting the awards) he said that I did-nt have a choice and there was no way I was talking him out of it. I am truly honored, thank you Scott.

I really have enjoyed working with Scott over the past 4 years. As he stated in his award message, we have become good friends. That really is true. One of his sayings that has stuck with me is that you have to surround yourself with good people and one of my favor-ite sayings is that it takes one to know one. He has done a remark-able job as CONY has undergone the many transformations that have taken place and I commend him for the way he has led CONY.

I am looking forward to working with Mike Papp as our new chair-man and the rest of the board of directors. If you didnt know al-ready, this very dedicated group of people work tirelessly without pay to help guide our organization to see that it supports our mission and vision statements. They also work to be able to provide pro-grams and services that members find of value as well as looking out

for our businesses through lobby-ing and many other activities. Each director and officer is a camp-ground operator and works in the front line of our industry daily. Please know that the board of di-rectors and officers are there to assist you just as the office is. If ever we can be of service or you have a suggestion for improvement please let us know.

Websters defines an Association as:

An organization of businesses with a common purpose and having a formal structure.

An organization that supports companies and employers of a particular type of industry and protects their rights:

The act of associating or state of being associated.

Friendship; companionship

Thank you for making the choice to be a part of the CONY family. The definition above really repre-sents what is being accomplished and what CONY is working to-ward accomplishing to be a reality.

As always we have a great deal that we are currently working on, and we are looking forward to seeing you and keeping you informed through various communication methods. I would highly encourage your participation at one of our upcoming Zone Meetings. We will have much to discuss as we look forward to kicking off the 2012 camping season. Specific meeting information will be coming to you

soon but please save the dates of the zone meetings March 27- 30th.

I would be remiss if I didnt thank Suzanne and Traci for all of their hard work. There are many long nights put in by all 3 of us working on various projects and programs whether it be the zone meetings, annual meeting and exposition, our printed directory, show program, legislative efforts, and the myriad of other projects and member vis-its that are conducted by our staff throughout each year.

So as my rearview mirror becomes foggy with the cold temperatures outside I am really thankful for the people that touch my life and I am honored to be able to serve you as the CONY President/CEO. I look forward to helping CONY carry out its mission statement: CONY An association dedicated to the promotion, growth, improvement and development of privately owned campgrounds in New York State.

I wish you all a very happy holiday season and a prosperous new year in 2012!

Respectfully, Donald G. Bennett, Jr. President and CEO

(Continued from page 2)

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Report submitted by Peter B. OConnell

Attorney at Law for the CONY Annual Membership Meeting

November 2011

During the past legislative session, I followed 33 bills of interest to CONY members. The following is a brief description of several bills that are of particular interest to CONY members:

PROGRAM LEGISLATION

EVICTION BILL: S.4024 by Senator Little/A.5561 by M of A Englebright: Seeks to treat a per-son who fails to pay fees, creates a disturbance or violates a rule of a campground as a trespasser who may be summarily re-moved from a campground by the campground owner or a law enforcement officer. Also estab-lishes procedures under the Lien Law to dispose of property that is left on a campground by a person who is evicted or fails to remove property upon vacat-ing a campground. Passed in the Senate, died in the Assem-bly Judiciary Committee.

Counsel to the Assembly Judiciary Committee expressed reservations concerning the self-help aspects of the eviction process. Next year, I will be splitting the bill into two bills in an effort to achieve passage of the Lien Law provisions con-tained in the bill.

CHAPTERS OF 2011

CHAPTER 135; S.5591 by Sena-tor Little/A.8303 by M of A Sweeney: Defines community housing for the purposes of the Adirondack Park Act to mean four dwelling units not exceeding 1500 square feet of floor space each lo-cated on one contiguous parcel within a moderate or low intensity use land area.

VETOES OF 2011

VETO 37; S.5591 by Senator Lit-tle/A.7667-A by M of A Russell: Sought to authorize campgrounds with 15 or fewer sites without dumping stations to provide a list of dumping stations within a radius of 30 miles. CONY wrote in oppo-sition to this bill and has offered to assist the sponsors in achieving a regulatory solution to the problem.

OTHER LEGISLATION

M E M B E R S H I P C A M P -GROUNDS: S.2554 by Senator Maziarz/A. 940 by M of A Phef-fer: Allows purchasers of member-ship campground contracts to can-cel such contracts if: (1) there is a material breach by campground owner to provide essential services; (2) the purchaser relocates to a per-manent residence more than 500 miles from the campground; (3) the purchaser or his or her spouse is admitted to a health care facility; (4) the purchaser or his or her spouse is bedridden or physically unable to utilize the campground;

or (5) a signatory to the contract is the subject of domestic violence or abuse by another signatory. Passed in the Assembly and died on the floor of the Senate.

APA BILLS; S.345 by Senator Little/A.151 by M of A Sayward; Seeks to redefine campground within the Adirondack Park to pro-hibit the APA from requiring a recreational vehicle to be removed after a certain period of time. Passed in the Senate and died in Assembly En Con Committee S.342 by Senator Little/ A.148 by M of A Sayward: Seeks to pro-hibit the APA from enacting a rule that is inconsistent with a Depart-ment of Health rule. Died on the floor of the Senate and in Assem-bly En Con Committee.

FREE OR REDUCED FEE CAMPING: There were a total of four bills that sought to provide free camping to either seniors or veterans. S.297 by Senator Diaz/A.277 by M of A Dinowitz; S.2343 by Senator Serrano/A.496 by M of A Gibson; A.6013 by M of A Burling; S.253 by Senator Maziarz. None of them were re-ported from committee.

-

To find or follow bills in the Senate, go to:

h t t p : / / w w w . n y s e n a t e . g o v /legislation

To find or follow bills in the Assembly, go to:

http://assembly.state.ny.us/leg

Legislative Report

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MEMBER BENEFIT UPDATE:

Corporate Discounted Rate on Vehicle Rentals

Thinking of renting a car, truck or cargo van? CONY has a corporate discount rate on vehicle rentals through Enterprise-Rent-a-Car, for use by CONY members and their campers.

Find discounted rates by visiting www.enterprise.com or calling 1-800-Rent-A-Car. Corporate Code Number for discount is 29D3786, and the access code/pin is CAM.

***

MEMBER BENEFIT UPDATE:

Credit Card Program

CONY members can take advan-tage of low rates on processing of credit cards, through a program administered by CONY associate member Payment Alliance Interna-tional.

Consider shopping around if youve been wondering if youre getting the best deal. For a free line

-by-line savings analysis, contact Nathan Danus, Associate Relation-ships Manager, at 866-371-2273

***

CONY is always working to provide value for your membership, including a wide range of member programs, dis-counts and benefitswell be sending you an update soon with a comprehensive list of your current benefits and services. But, were always adding more, so keep up to date on www.campcony.com.

CONY also has a great group of associ-ate members looking to serve you. Be sure to consult your Handy Reference Guide of Associate Members included with your n e w s l e t t e r , o r a g a i n , v i s i t www.campcony.com.

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New York Campgrounds Make the A Grade on

GuestRated.com

Two New York based camp-grounds were among a list of 44 parks across the country that made the A grade in GuestRated.coms 4th Annual Consumer Satisfaction Survey.

More than 30,000 consumers sub-mitted online reviews of parks across the United States through GuestRated.com, a company that conducts the online surveys, based out of Murrieta, CA.

According to the GuestRated.com press announcement, the two New York parks among the 44 parks

with A ratings are:

Lake George RV Park, Lake George, NY. This park is a four-time A grade winner.

West Canada Creek Campsites, Poland, NY. This park is a three-time A grade winner.

Consumers are invited to submit their own reviews of private camp-grounds and RV resorts they have recently visited by logging onto www.GoCampingAmerica.com and clicking the Review a Park tab. Survey results will eventually be posted on the website at GoCampingAmerica.com.

For more information about the online survey program, contact Bob MacKinnon at (877) 707-7080.

Member News Welcome New Member

Groman ShoresStan Groman Sandy Creek (1000 Islands)

See our associate members at www.campcony.com

Access Member Info on CampCony.com

Have you signed up for your login and password for CONYs business-to-

business website at www.campcony.com?

GO NOW and set yourself up to access Members Only information

including the materials in the CONY library, and the

message forum.

Questions? Contact the CONY office at (800) 497-2669 or

info@nycampgrounds.com.

Business Tip

Have a limited number of movies that your campground will be

showingindoor or outdoorand want to find an affordable copy-

right licensing solution?

Visit www.swank.com for more details and information.

14

EXTRA

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EXTRA

Industry News

NCA Northeast Conference 2012

The 2012 Northeast Conference on Camping, held by the Northeast Campground Association, is scheduled for Mar 22 to Mar 24, 2012, at the Sturbridge Hotel & Conf. Center, in Sturbridge, MA.

More details available online at http://campnca.org/conference. Bookmark that page to check back when full registration details be-come available.

More information about NCA is available on their corporate web-site at www.campnca.org.

NEWS

Chairmans Report

Janine you will be missed on the Board but I look forward to seeing you at meetings and other events Sandy and I still remember fondly our first meetings and the welcome you gave us each time like we were long lost friends.

Having just spent four great days in Niagara Falls at the 48th Annual CONY Exposition learning new things, making new friends, renew-ing older friendships, and as always working on the business of CONY, I am excited for the up-coming year. Our new CONY App that is under development is set to be released early next year and is just one more thing to keep CONY on the cutting edge of the industry. A great BIG thank you to Rosemary, Don, Suzanne and Traci for all the hard work they and the committee put into making 2011 a great Exposition. These folks put in many, many extra hours to be sure that things go smoothly and that we are able to have a great time and learn many new things! Our awards banquet was a great evening and hearing all

the interesting and humorous sto-ries about Randy Lehman as he was inducted into the CONY Hall of Fame while sitting next to his wonderful daughter Maria was fun.

And just because the Exposition is over, dont think that the folks in the office get to rest, not just yet, they still have a Directory to get compiled, edited and printed and, having worked on that process while in the Vacation Rental In-dustry I know that there are many 20 hour days and very long nights trying to get it all together. Did you know that YOU can help? The best way the each of us can help the office to get the Directory done and reduce the number of very long days is to get your ads in on time. There are countless ads that come in at the last minute and these really cause stress to the process because they have to be edited, fit into a page which means something else may have to be moved which may cause another change.so please remember to purchase an advertisement it is a great investment in your business and get the art work in to the CONY office as quickly as possi-

ble and certainly before the dead-line.

Your Board of Directors continues to work hard all winter as other owners start the long winter hiber-nation. The Marketing Committee headed by Laurie Bulluck is work-ing hard on a new program for next year that will inspire your sense of community and charity and help to promote our business in a positive light. The Governance Committee headed by Bill Perry has a number of things they want to keep moving on, including new member benefits and possibly re-organizing the Regional bounda-ries. The Public Affairs Committee headed by Gregg Nichols will con-tinue to monitor the ADA regula-tions as well as keeping us in-formed of any other Codes or Law changes that may come down the pipe.

Again, I want to thank you for al-lowing me to serve as your CONY Chair and I look forward to work-ing with this great organization as we continue to lead the Outdoor Hospitality Industry.

Remember Its all Good! Mike

(Continued from page 2)

The 2012 CONY Campground & RV Park Guide is currently being printed and will be ready for the RV show season that kicks off in Cleveland, OH on January 4th.

CONY members voted on three cover concepts at the Exposition in November,

and the winning version features High Falls in the Chateaugay River in Franklin County. The photo was provided by the Adirondack Regional Tourism Council.

As always, this 100-page guide features an informative directory of CONY parks, divided out by the New York State vaca-tion regions, as well as colorful advertise-ments from parks, tourism promotion agencies, attractions, RV dealers and others supporting CONY with their advertising dollars.

A new feature this year, that we think will help people plan their trips even easier, is a system of grids over the maps, with coordi-nates that should help better identify loca-tions of campgrounds.

Directories will be available at the Zone Meetings this spring, and order forms will be available with registration. To order cases (45 per case) ahead of time, contact the CONY office at 585-586-4360 or info@nycampgrounds.com.

CONY Directory on the press and ready for shows season

1 Grove Street, Suite 200 Pittsford, New York 14534

Every effort is made to print accurate information. CONY, along with contractors and advertisers will assume no liability for errors or omissions. We will

gladly reprint any corrections.

The CONY Newsletter is published by the CONY office, providing its members with industry related information. For information, article suggestions or advertising inquiries, call: 800-497-2669 or 585-586-4360. Or e-mail us at: info@nycampgrounds.com

Campground Owners of New York,

1 Grove Street, Suite 200, Pittsford, New York 14534

nycampgrounds.com (consumer website) campcony.com (corporate website)