Outdoor Center open-house Friday and Saturday
The Presque Isle County Tourism Council will be rolling out the welcome-mat Friday and Saturday at the Ocqueoc Outdoor Recreation Center. ?This camp is for Presque Isle County and the people in Presque Isle County,? said Mark Schuler, Tourism Council president. ?We will be bringing guests in from outside of the county, throughout the state, and from out of state.? The open house is Friday from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. and Saturday from 9 a.m. until 11 a.m.
?WE WANT to show the camp to people in Presque Isle County before we begin this facelift, but it?s also going to be a chance for them to see firsthand the needs of repair,? Schuler said. The first three weeks in May have been set aside to start the work. Anyone interested in donating time and energy is welcome to bring their tents or campers to join in on the clean-up and fix-up of the facility.
The Tourism Council was expected to receive the deed from the Department of Natural Resources this week. The Natural Resources Commission isn?t conveying as much land as the Tourism Council and local officials had originally hoped, but they believe this is a start. The DNR approved the county?s application for conveyance for public recreation use at a meeting April 2. The Tourism Council will market the facility as a ?destination? for visitors and hopes to host campers this summer. The DNR had planned on tearing down all the bu
SOME LOCAL BUSINESSES, organizations, and individuals have pledged to assist in the renovation of the camp with sweat equity and dollars. The Tourism Council sent letters to county businesses this week to further generate support. Schuler encouraged citizens to take their time looking over the buildings and the grounds of the camp, because it won?t look the way it does for long. ?After you?ve seen the surface of the camp, prepare yourself for a shock!? Schuler said.
With a financial boost from the Presque Isle County Commissioners of $27,500, the Tourism Council is moving forward with the repair of walls, replacement of windows, and the painting of buildings. ?It?s a destination that you?ll be proud to represent, that will educate youth, your future workers,? stated Schuler in his letter. ?It will be a destination within your county that will work for your good. A destination you will want to be part of — that you?ll be part of.?