The idea of an RV park at the 700 block of Davidson Street had some council members concerned and some local residents outspoken during Karnes City’s regular meeting March 27.

Karnes City property owner Dave Koehler pitched the idea to council members, requesting they allow his business idea to move forward by removing the ordinance restrictions on parked RVs in town.

"This is a very ambiguous ordinance," City Administrator Larry Pippen told council members, requesting they consider rewriting the ordinance before making any decisions on the RV park idea.

One local resident was very concerned about the prospect of having that kind of business in the area.

"I’m very concerned about the idea of an RV park being established in a residential area. You get something in there that’s not residential and the property values go down," she said, adding that an RV park would "affect the character of our residential area. We have safe streets right now, everyone knows everyone, they’re nice homes, (and) that’s going to change."

She mentioned RV parks elsewhere in the county and said they started out nice, but soon degraded and turned into poorly-maintained property. She also voiced concerns over child safety.

"We have small children in the area, children that are free to ride their bicycles and play, everyone knows everyone, we keep them safe, (and) it won’t stay like that if there’s strangers. There is no guarantee that you can keep someone … from parking there overnight and taking one of our children," she said.

Koehler defended his idea.

"We have a business in Karnes City already and we’ve been there for over a year. It’s not as if you don’t know what kind of operation we operate," he said, referring to The Barrel Yard on U.S. Highway 181.

Koehler also pointed out the RV park would be designed specifically for traveling people who need a place to stop and hook up their RV to electricity for the night.

"They’re not coming here to stay," he said. "They’re going from point A to B and this is in the middle."

Pippen advised city council members to take action to approve or disapprove the idea by reworking their ordinance on RVs and mobile homes in town. He also reminded them Karnes City does not have a zoning ordinance, which means any property owner can set up a business within a predominately residential area, or vice versa.

The only thing holding Koehler back, he said, is the vague ordinance that prevents RVs and other similar mobile home units from being parked in the city.

Council members also discussed the town’s most recent grant loan later in the meeting.

Pippen announced that just a few hours before the meeting the Texas Water Development Board had approved a $3.6 million loan to finance water system improvements. The 30-year note will help the city greatly in upgrading its decaying water delivery system.

Several new, larger water lines will be laid around town, allowing Karnes City to adequately provide water for its citizens and any potential new developments that come to town.

The city also will save money and time by greatly reducing the time utility employees spend repairing water leaks in the old, breaking system.

During a brief update later on the city park project, Pippen said construction had moved to a standstill, but assured council the park was still on track for a timely completion.

"We’re at a stalemate with our city park. We haven’t done anything in the past month" due to the heavy rain, he said.

Pippen estimated the park was about 65 percent complete and said it’s still on track for completion in June.

Several council members toward the end of the meeting asked about the brush and heavy trash pick up day being apparently passed over. Waste Management had forgotten Karnes City, but rescheduled a new pick up date for April 16, according to discussion.