Camp could lose license

SANDUSKY — The Erie County Health Department, alleging safety violations going back for 14 years, is threatening to revoke the license for the Cold Creek Trout Camp, 4711 Venice Road (U.S. 6) on Sandusky's west end. The health department alleges that the RV camp, catering to fishermen, has ignored safety rules that require at least 15 feet of space between the sides of recreational vehicles and 10 feet of space between the ends of recreational vehicles. Craig Ward, chief environmental public health officer for the Erie County Health Department, said the Ohio Administrative Code requires 15 feet of space. It's a safety issue because, otherwise, a fire could easily spread from one vehicle to another, Ward said. The campground would have to shut down if its license was revoked. A letter sent on Sept. 28 to the owner of the trout camp, Michael Mascarenas, threatens to revoke the business' campground license if it does not come into compliance. The letter states that the latest inspection, carried out on Aug. 25, found 11 instances of less than 15 feet of space between vehicles. Ward said Mascarenas contacted the health department after receiving the letter, sent by certified mail, and pledged to fix the problem. Another inspection will be carried out later in October, and if the situation is not fixed, the campground's license will be revoked, Ward said. The county's health board approved sending the letter at the board's regular monthly meeting, hosted last week at the health department, said Pete Schade, Erie County's health commissioner. A phone message asking for comment was left Tuesday at the phone number for the campground listed on its Facebook site. The message was not returned by deadline. The health department can document that it has listed spacing violations going back to 2008, Ward said. He said that four or five years ago, the health department sent Mascarenas a letter emphasizing that the situation must be corrected. Ward said that while there are temporary campgrounds associated with certain events such as Ohio Bike Week, Erie County has 16 campgrounds licensed for permanent operation. While spacing violations have sometimes been cited at the other 15, they usually involve as little as one violation, and they have usually been quickly corrected, Ward said. Spacing between vehicles has only been a long-running problem at Cold Creek Trout Camp, Ward said.