Attention Cottage owners:
The State of Illinois has various agencies that oversee the safe operation of “Campgrounds.” Illinois Turner Camp falls in this category. As such, we (Camp leadership as well ALL cottage owners) are responsible for ensuring that ALL buildings and their surrounding areas, including cottages, are maintained in a safe, clean, and orderly manner. This includes removal of moss on roofs and overgrowth which provides areas for animals to hide and/or nest and bugs to accumulate. In addition, the State is also looking at; broken windows, torn screens, structural damage to the cottage and adjoining area, that creates an unsafe environment for others.
Earlier this summer, the State employee who reviewed our facility identified several cottages that had an overabundance of items (grills, toys, junk, etc.) that, in their view, represented an unacceptable safety hazard to the safe operation of the facility. Although we were “flagged” by the State, we were fortunate to receive a warning rather than be fined for these incidents. The citations contained a short period of time to correct the issues, and we were required to send pictures to the State verifying the conditions were rectified. However, the “flagging” does cause ITC leadership to remind all cottage owners of their obligation to maintain their cottage and surrounding areas in a safe, neat, and orderly manner.
This fall, ITC leadership will be conducting a “walk-through” review of all areas of Camp to identify any cottages that have issues that need to be addressed in accordance with State of Illinois requirements and ITC’s Rules and Regulations. For any cottages that are flagged, the cottage owner will receive a written notice indicating the issues to be rectified and will be given a period of time to address the issue(s) before any penalties or fines are assessed by ITC. Any fines which are assessed by the State of Illinois to ITC will be passed thru to the cottage owner.
Our goal is to ensure that any future review(s) by the State will result in only positive results and feedback. We appreciate your cooperation.
Illinois District