Projects around the Smithwoods campground this past year have kept me busy. The first big project I completed was to update all the campground site signs. Over time, some of the original signs disappeared or fell apart, and the ones left needed updating. I created metal signs in-house as replacements.
Some other projects included making planter stands to hide the golf cart chargers.
Many park firepits are on their last leg, and I attempted to show the owners a firepit I could make for them. Unfortunately, they neglected to go with my creation because of the cost of making them.
A customer told me they didn’t know whether to turn left before or after the sign. I fixed that with an arrow.
A fun little project I learned to do was to make stickers. The golf cart tailgate was a blank canvas begging for a welcoming message. “Slinky” the slug was my creation, and I made him the unofficial campground mascot.
We all need direction, and it was a little confusing for folks on where to stop when they entered the park. I made up some laminated signs and signposts to help with that.
Getting lost in this area is easy, so I made some detailed updated maps for our guests.
When we arrived at Smithwoods, the only thing on the basketball court was a pole. I located a used basketball backboard and pole in San Jose to save the park money. This project was a little more involved since I needed assistance from my truck to pull out the remaining pole and concrete from the ground. Unfortunately, shortly after I installed everything, we had a guest crack the plastic backboard. I fixed that with a painted plywood backboard that I made up for it.
While I was looking for a permanent basketball backboard setup I came across a deal online for a portable one. It’s nice having two in the park with each one at different heights.
Tree trimming from the ground. In my arsenal of tools, I have a Dewalt cordless pole saw that has gotten much use here at Smithwoods. I don’t climb trees so this tool has been a blessing to have.
Out with the old, in with the new. Many of the light bulbs at Smithwoods were either money-burning halogen or fluorescent bulbs and were all replaced with LED bulbs. Leaky faucets were also replaced.
Some more new… When we arrived, the wifi-room had a couple of torn posters on that wall that had nothing to do with Smithwoods or even the area. The office walls were bare, and with a 13×19 printer, I gave these areas some artistic appeal.
An overgrown jungle is what I call it. This particular area housed your everyday wild animal and insects. Of course, the yellow jackets had to come out of the ground and sting me, but the project continued. Happy how it turned out.
All the projects above were done with no expectations. I wasn’t hired to do the above, but it is who I am. For this next project, I was asked, and so happy that I was. The campground had wifi, but it was 20 years old and beyond disappointing. The new system is a “pay for” wifi which helps with performance and is profitable. We do have a wifi room that has free wifi, so it is a system that benefits everyone. With this project, I have also eliminated the tangled mess of old camera wires that hung from the office. At this point, the new complete camera system has helped recover a stolen golf cart and helped find a car thief that hid from police. I have mounted a working server cabinet, six switches, twelve access points, fourteen cameras, and several electrical outlets at the current moment.
Every achievement begins with a decision to try…