RV enthusiasts will welcome the news that a certified KOA Kampground is open for business in the gambling/opera/history-rich “Richest Square Mile on Earth.” This needed addition to the amenities offered in Gilpin County opened, May 30, and the Kampground offers 67 RV site with full hookups, two tent sites (available by July 4) and one KOA camping cabin. Campers will enjoy WiFi, cable television and picnic tables, as well as free shuttle service to Black Hawk, the large Gilpin County rec building and even Nederland.
The KOA compound includes a grocery and gift store, open 9 a.m. – 8 p.m., and a laundromat also open to the public in the daytime. In fulfilling every anticipated need, the store fills propane tanks of all sizes, selling propane by the bottle or gallon. The grocery store stocks food necessities – canned, frozen and refrigerated, auto parts and camping items, while the gift shop sells appealing and tasteful gifts, including earrings and animal sculptures, as well as the expected T-shirts. A nice assortment of area postcards is a welcome sight, as postcards are nearly impossible for visitors to find.
Leza and Chuck Spencer purchased the previous camping business from the bank, which had foreclosed on the property. After buying the property in April, they opened the Kampground the next month. The fact the Spencers had previously owned and operated a KOA Kampground for seven years in Hot Springs, S.D., accounts for the fast turn-around. The family wanted to return to Colorado and to the mountains. Although one son is grown, the remaining three children, 10 – 16 years of age, live at home.
Chuck Spencer, pictured, and his wife Leza, opened the new KOA Kampground in Central City May 30.
Being a “family man” is top priority for Chuck. The family is really into baseball, he says with a smile, particularly the middle son, Ryan. Chuck tries to see all their games and also coaches their daughter’s softball team.
The couple’s goal is to get the Kampground established financially and move to Central City. Chuck says they prefer the “slower life, nicer people and lack of traffic.” But for the immediate future, they’ll continue living in Parker and working in the Denver area at full-time jobs. Both work for Air Methods, the medical helicopter company, Leza as a records auditor and Chuck as a helicopter mechanic. In addition to working full-time and being a mother of four, Leza attends Regis University, where she is earning a degree in Business Management. Two part-time employees, both Central City residents, staff the grocery/gift store and a nighttime manager arrives this month.
Call the store at 303-582-3043. To reach the KOA Kampground, drive up Spring Street and take the paved road left toward Gold Mountain Village. Turn again at the second left.
