MONROE - Violations that existed when Rick and Lisa Josephson bought the Sweet Minihaha Campground five years ago are catching up to them.
The Sweet Minihaha Campground will lose 29 of its 130 camping sites for being inside a required 100-foot abutment of the residences near the campground on County E, Town of Decatur, as a result of a conditional-use permit purchased Wednesday. The campground regularly hosts live music and offers tubing during the summer. After numerous complaints regarding noise, nudity, drugs and theft originating around the campground, the Green County Board of Adjustment determined the campground was in violation of county code.
The board held a hearing in May where more than 30 people voiced concerns about the campground hosting loud music well into the night on weekdays. The review hearing on Wednesday saw more than 50 people in attendance and about 23 spoke, mostly in approval of the campground. Green County Sheriff Mark Rohloff presented a graphic of the past five years of calls originating at the campground. Deputies were called out 25 times in 2014 with an average of 1.38 arrests per week during the time period the calls came in. In 2011, about 30 calls originated from the camp and then closer to 29 in 2012, Rohloff said.
Many who spoke on Wednesday were frequent users of the campground or employees of the business. Several neighbors also spoke. Candy Pryce said she owns property on both sides of the Sugar River next to the campground and has animals on her property.
"Some of the tubers think it's a petting zoo," Pryce said.
Pryce said some of her horses have bitten tubers, and that she can't be there to police her land.
"That's why I want someone to patrol the area between 4 and 8:30 (in the morning)," she said.
Another neighbor, Mitch Mau, also spoke and railed against the owners for the excess of litter and crime in the area.
"I've lived next to the camp for five years, and the first year was fine. The next four were not so great - it has made my life a living hell," Mau said.
He said a picnic table was stolen from his property and that the campers blatantly flaunted his table just a few feet away.
"I'm the type of guy that minds his own business, but I won't stand for theft," Mau said.
The camp had its fair share of commendation, especially from employees like William Hawkinson, who garnered applause after he spoke to the board.
"Some weekends we will see 800 to 1,000 people tubing on that river, and the sheriff said there is only about one arrest per week?" Hawkinson said. "There's going to be a bad apple, but I'd say we're doing a pretty good job."
Many more in support of the camp detailed how it is a family-friendly area and that noise was never an issue. Now that the Josephsons have a conditional-use permit for the land, they will lose some camping sites usually reserved for the season-long patrons.
Stacey Morissey said she has camped for many years with her husband and likes to bring her grandchildren up to stay, but that the loss of the sites will mean she will lose her typical spot.
"Sweet Minihaha is like our family ... and we just don't want to lose out on that," Morissey said.
The permit will cut back from the property line 100 feet on the east and south sides and cut back 50 feet on part of the south side and all of the north side. The permit also restricts music to be played only on Saturdays between the hours of noon and 11 p.m. with exceptions for additional days on three-day weekends like Labor Day and Memorial Day. The modifications are required to be made before the campground's May 15 start date.
Rick Josephson said he is worried about the lost business that these restrictions will bring.
"We will lose most of our seasonals, and that will hurt us," he said.
Lisa Josephson said the setbacks required by the permit will cost them a lot of business, though she was happy the Wednesday meeting went a lot smoother than May's.
"Things went a lot calmer this time," she said.
The Sweet Minihaha Campground will lose 29 of its 130 camping sites for being inside a required 100-foot abutment of the residences near the campground on County E, Town of Decatur, as a result of a conditional-use permit purchased Wednesday. The campground regularly hosts live music and offers tubing during the summer. After numerous complaints regarding noise, nudity, drugs and theft originating around the campground, the Green County Board of Adjustment determined the campground was in violation of county code.
The board held a hearing in May where more than 30 people voiced concerns about the campground hosting loud music well into the night on weekdays. The review hearing on Wednesday saw more than 50 people in attendance and about 23 spoke, mostly in approval of the campground. Green County Sheriff Mark Rohloff presented a graphic of the past five years of calls originating at the campground. Deputies were called out 25 times in 2014 with an average of 1.38 arrests per week during the time period the calls came in. In 2011, about 30 calls originated from the camp and then closer to 29 in 2012, Rohloff said.
Many who spoke on Wednesday were frequent users of the campground or employees of the business. Several neighbors also spoke. Candy Pryce said she owns property on both sides of the Sugar River next to the campground and has animals on her property.
"Some of the tubers think it's a petting zoo," Pryce said.
Pryce said some of her horses have bitten tubers, and that she can't be there to police her land.
"That's why I want someone to patrol the area between 4 and 8:30 (in the morning)," she said.
Another neighbor, Mitch Mau, also spoke and railed against the owners for the excess of litter and crime in the area.
"I've lived next to the camp for five years, and the first year was fine. The next four were not so great - it has made my life a living hell," Mau said.
He said a picnic table was stolen from his property and that the campers blatantly flaunted his table just a few feet away.
"I'm the type of guy that minds his own business, but I won't stand for theft," Mau said.
The camp had its fair share of commendation, especially from employees like William Hawkinson, who garnered applause after he spoke to the board.
"Some weekends we will see 800 to 1,000 people tubing on that river, and the sheriff said there is only about one arrest per week?" Hawkinson said. "There's going to be a bad apple, but I'd say we're doing a pretty good job."
Many more in support of the camp detailed how it is a family-friendly area and that noise was never an issue. Now that the Josephsons have a conditional-use permit for the land, they will lose some camping sites usually reserved for the season-long patrons.
Stacey Morissey said she has camped for many years with her husband and likes to bring her grandchildren up to stay, but that the loss of the sites will mean she will lose her typical spot.
"Sweet Minihaha is like our family ... and we just don't want to lose out on that," Morissey said.
The permit will cut back from the property line 100 feet on the east and south sides and cut back 50 feet on part of the south side and all of the north side. The permit also restricts music to be played only on Saturdays between the hours of noon and 11 p.m. with exceptions for additional days on three-day weekends like Labor Day and Memorial Day. The modifications are required to be made before the campground's May 15 start date.
Rick Josephson said he is worried about the lost business that these restrictions will bring.
"We will lose most of our seasonals, and that will hurt us," he said.
Lisa Josephson said the setbacks required by the permit will cost them a lot of business, though she was happy the Wednesday meeting went a lot smoother than May's.
"Things went a lot calmer this time," she said.