AUSTIN (KXAN) — More than a dozen Texas camp representatives said new safety measures signed into law last month after the deadly July 4 floods that killed at least 135 people, including 27 at Camp Mystic in Kerr County, could put them out of business.
“The recent legislation, while well-intended, would have devastating effects on camps like ours if applied as written,” said Loretta Lynn Orr, CEO of Orr Family Ministries, which owns Camp Oak Haven, located about 70 miles west of Houston.
The Texas Department of State Health Services is working to implement new camp safety measures passed under Senate Bill 1. On Friday, Texas DSHS heard public testimony on the new changes.
‘Force us to close our doors’
Lynn said for her youth camp and other smaller, rural ones, it would be “financially impossible” to implement one new rule requiring high-speed fiber optic internet.
“It would cost more than we could ever raise,” she said. “And it was force us to close our doors.”
While she said measures meant to protect camps are “understandable and absolutely appropriate,” she doesn’t want the rules to apply “across the board” when it comes to camps “like ours, that are not in floodplains.”
“That was never the intent of these bills,” she said.
In addition to suggesting alternative solutions, like satellite internet, camp representatives said they need more time and want their industry to have a seat at the table when decisions are made about how to implement new safety rules.
Many asked for licensing fees not to be raised. Under a new proposed fee structure, camps could be charged based on the number of campers that attend annually versus the number of days a camp operates, according to DSHS.
Initial fees could increase from $750 to between $9,600 and $11,100 depending on the camp size. Renewal costs would increase from $464, for camps that currently operate more than 10 days a year, to between $9,000 and $10,500.
“We want to comply, and we want to operate safely,” said Orr, “but if these rules are enforced as written they will not make camps safer they will simply shut down the very places that provide affordable life-changing experiences for kids and families.”
“These rules as written don’t just regulate camps,” she added, “they risk eliminating them.”
Rhonda Roberts with the Heart of Texas Baptist Camp on Lake Brownwood, about 150 miles north of Kerrville, echoed concerns and called for state disaster relief funds to be used to offset what she called an “undue, sudden burden.”
The cost to install fiber optic internet by next summer would cost $35,000 up front in addition to $1,000 a month over a five-year contract, said Roberts.
“That would put a significant strain on our nonprofit budget,” she said.
Roberts requested camps located along lakes be exempt from having to evacuate during flood warnings. She criticized a new safety measure mandating youth cabins located within a floodplain have emergency ladders capable of accessing the roof.
“In some cases, like these, I believe there’s a greater safety risk for these new rules than there would be without them,” she said. “Our roofs are the last place that we want campers.”
‘These laws are not meant for camps; they are for the families who trust them’
For some family members of the July 4 victims, the pushback is an outrage.
“These laws are not meant for camps,” said Michael McCown of Austin, who first shared his story with KXAN. “They are for the families who trust them and the children whose safety must come before profits, convenience and arrogance.”
McCown’s eight-year-old daughter, Linnie, died at Camp Mystic. He said the new laws signed last month at a ceremony he and his wife attended ensure “no child ever dies because adults failed to plan.”
He said the camps who are testifying now should have been there before when legislative solutions were being drafted.
“The financial burden they fear is nothing,” said McCown, “compared to the human cost my family has already paid.”
The DSHS said recently passed flood safety legislation is “very important” and is “committed to transparency” and stakeholder feedback “all along the way.”
Written comments can be submitted by e-mailing dshspubliccomments@dshs.texas.gov through 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 12.
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