sclwald

Sounds like a very good idea to me. You seem very passionate about this and you should persue it. I admire you for your time and courage to do this for others. It would take a special person with a lot of time to pull this off. If you have it I say go for it. With some time and effort it could easily become a reality I think.

USN VET

kwilson16

Don't forget RV hook-ups. This is popular with military folks. The sites are low maint: concrete pad and electrical/sewer/water connections.

Do you have some surrounding area attractions?

You will need to have something for the kids/wives to avoid the 'mancation' accusation. The Disney/Hawaii military lodging is expensive but not in comparison to what it would cost to do the vacation commercially. Don't underestimate this competition.

You need someone to do a break even analyis to assess economical feasibility of supporting the land purchase, salaries, utilities etc with the proposed income. I suspect it will be tight.

Don't forget the Armed Forces Vacation Club. Perhaps, you can sell your vacations on their website: www.afvclub.com

The USCG cabinsat StationTahoe City, CA (North Shore Tahoe) are awesome. IMO, they are one of the best kept secrets in military lodging. They are efficient, fair and provide a Tahoe vacation at a very reasonable rate. The station is run by an E7 and the cabins are run by a high-speed E3. You should visit them if possible. You could benchmark their operation:

http://www.uscg.mil/d11/StaLakeTahoe/A-Frames/default.asp

LCDR Kevin Wilson
USCG Helicopter Pilot
Currently flying a laptopover the darkened waters of grad school

mofireman

AFhunter,

As I told you in the PM yesterday, I think this is a very noble idea! As a fellow current AF servicemember, I applaud your vision and the selflessness of your plan!

Fellow hunters, don't get caught up in the fact that AF is looking for you to send in a donation! He is simply looking for additional ideas, thoughts, concerns, orpossibly a POC who might be interested in listening to his ideas. If we keep saying, "Sorry I can't help you out," then you're taking his message too personally. That's nothis intention as I read it!!

If this were to come to fruition, count me in! I'm not a builder, nor an electrician, nor a wealthy man, but I share your vision of a need for a spot in the midwest where these people who serve our country admirably can enjoy the outdoors and at a fraction of the cost of going elsewhere.

Just my thoughts.

AF Hunter

I already have 12 electric and water hookups on my property in a 12 acre area that was a campground 10 years ago. I've checked into putting black water tanks in to handle the sewage.

The cabins I pretty much decided on are 4 person cabins. Some will have bunk beds and others 2 full size beds.

Looking at the cost for electricity, upkeep, salaries, and everything else, I came up with $60 per night per cabin with the inclusion of rent for the week and get the weekend free. My long term goal when completed is to have 30 cabins total, 30 RV sites, a community center, and general store.

For additional attractions there are:
Lake Rathbun (huge lake w/golf course, fishing, sport boating) 30 minutes East of here;
Lake Redrock (Iowa's largest lake) 30 minutes North of here;
Stephens Forest State Park (horseback riding) 20 minutes Southwest of here;
1000 Acre Forest (fishing, hiking) 5 minutes Southeast of here;
Knoxville Raceway (Sprint Car Nationals) 20 minutes North of here;
Adventureland Theme Park 1 hour Northwest of here;
Terribles Casino 25 minutes West of here;
Prairie Meadows Racetrack & Casino (Horse Racing) 1 hour Northwest of here;
Tons of golf courses within 30 minutes in every direction;
Indianola Hot Air Classic (Hot Air Balloon Races) 45 minutes Northwest of here;
Pella Tulip Festival (Dutch Festival) 25 minutes Northeast of here;
Living History Farms (working farm from 1800's) 1 hour Northwest of here;
Covered Bridges of Madison County 70 minutes West of here.

There are many things to do in the surrounding area, but the primary goal is to give military families someplace to get away and RELAX! Secondary goal is to give military personnel a place to hunt.

I have listed on my to do list after I get funding to speak with the Governor and get 16 tags per year for either turkey or deer to use during the Disabled/Injured hunts. Right now an NR tag is too expensive as far as I am concerned. With all the publicity that this will bring to the State of Iowa, I don't forsee any problems there.

Thanks to all for your input. Please keep it coming.

Mark

AF Hunter

bump

bigtim6656

great idea go for it
first get a non for profit going like already said find a vet lawyer to help. also once you do call all the big hunting company's and the big vet helpers American legion VFW Dav so on. it would take alot of work.
i think the biggest issue would be getting people to trust you. might call some other vet non for profits

AF Hunter

Actually, trust is not an issue. Having Core Values go a long way to alleviate mistrust when dealing with others. I have taken these values on to my personal life. They are:
1. Integrity First.
2. Service before self.
3.Excellence in all I do.

passthru79

I think it is an awsome idea. Being a former marine with a passion for the outdoors I knowmanymarines thatwould have been deffinetly interested in a place like that. All your planning sounds pretty well laid out. I would deffinetly check into local and state grant possibilities. Even the federal government could help you out as well as corporate sponsers. Good luck, its a wonderful idea and could deffinetly make a huge impact in peoples lifes if you make it happen.

bigtim6656

good idea govt loves to hand out money if you fill out the paper right.
I was once told my a cpa that if you know how to do the right paper work you could get rich legally getting money from uncle SAM.

AF Hunter

Will expanding the eligible persons cause the focus to be lost?