New ownership transforms KOA

Like a butterfly slowly emerging from its cocoon in the spring, the KOA campground and RV park is opening to a new era.

Located next to the rodeo grounds to the east of Sisters on Highway 20, the Sisters/Bend KOA Kampground & Grocery is filling a big need in the Sisters area with the significant loss of areas for RVs to camp.

The new owner of the KOA facility purchased the business with a vision.

"We have owned the campground for a little more than two years. When we bought the campground, it was in my mind to completely redo the place," said Celia Hung. "I have been an RVer for the last 15 years, and when I go around and travel to different places, I notice what works and what doesn't; so I knew what I wanted to do when I bought this business. I had a very good idea of what I wanted to have."

The contractor is pleased with the way that things have proceeded and the time frame allotted to complete the remodel.

"It has taken one year from the time the permits were issued to get to this point. On a campground it is very difficult to get the permitting process through, because they issue so few of the permits. The last one I am aware of before this project was at the county fairgrounds, and that took almost a year to get the permits. We got ours through in about five months," said Ed Adams, the general contractor for the KOA project.

The remodeled campground is opening in phases as different areas are completed.

"We tried very hard to get this part open for the first event (the Small Farmers Journal Horsedrawn Auction & Swap Meet held late in April) at the rodeo grounds. Everything will be open before the rodeo begins. We are opening a section at a time, and about 25 percent of the campground is open now," said Hung.

Very little of the original campground is left.

"The original well is still here, and one of the original septic lines is still here, but other than that everything is new. We took the same number of RV sites that we had before, but we have completely reorganized the locations to make it easier for the RVs to come and go and also to provide a little more privacy," said Adams.

The upgrades and remodel came from experience.

"Because I travel with a RV, I understand the needs. The equipment has been changing and is being upgraded. Many times the sites are not able to meet the needs of the modern RV. It was in my mind when I bought this that I wanted to bring this up to a standard where the modern traveler could come in here easily and safely and find everything they need so they can really enjoy the site," said Hung.

As an outgrowth of her RV travel experiences, Hung has assured that the remodeled facility is now much more female friendly than before.

"The most important thing for me is the bathroom. I found that if the RV park had nice bathrooms, I would usually go back again. So, I put in very nice bathrooms with showers and heated floors so it would pleasant for anyone who used them," said Hung.

The campground's recreational facilities have not yet been updated, but that is soon to come, along with some other improvements.

"We have not yet added any recreational facilities beyond what we had, but we will be doing that in the next phase of our improvements. We already had a heated swimming pool and spa. We also have a very nice miniature golf course and basketball court. But I have in mind to restore and improve those things and build tennis courts and a pavilion for group activities," said Hung.