By Gail Parsons
Ground work stated Feb. 21 on a 2.7-acre storage facility for motorhomes, boats and other large vehicles in Kansas.
Bill Gilliam, owner of what will be CP Rentals, said the facility will have 43 spaces. Twelve will be fully enclosed and eight of them will be 40 feet deep while four of them will measure out at 50 feet.
There will be 16 covered and 16 open spaces. Twelve of the covered units will be 40 feet deep and four of them will be 50 feet.
“The site [will] have an RV sanitary dump,” Gilliam said. “If somebody goes and plays, comes back and brings their unit they don’t have to go off site to a place to empty their black and gray water tanks. We have the facility right here for them.”
All the enclosed spaces will have a 20-amp electrical plug for battery tender, a small refrigerator or overhead lighting.
“Most facilities don’t have either one of those two items,” he said.
For security, site plans include a fence with gated access and cameras installed throughout the facility.
Gilliam said he believes CP Rentals will fill a need in the Abilene area brought on by COVID-19 and the new subdivision being built.
“During COVID a lot of people couldn’t get out and mingle so, they went to RV status where they were using camping trailers, motorhomes, boats — it’s become more a part of the community,” he said.
Although RV industry professionals speculate a decrease in new RV sales in 2023, they reported large spikes that started in 2020 and continued through last year.
Additionally, the new Golden Belt Heights subdivision being developed has rules against parking large vehicles there.
“They cannot park RVs, travel trailers, motorhome or boats on those sites,” Gilliam said. “When you have an influx of new homes and no place to put that stuff, everybody has to store it somewhere.”
