LAWTON – Extensive renovations and construction at the Ralph’s Resort area at Lake Ellsworth will be performed by the new concessionaire in accordance with a lease agreement approved by the Lawton Water Authority and the City Council.
David McCall of Lawton, whose concessionaire proposal among the four presented to the council was deemed to be “the best overall,” said he intends to secure a $500,000 line of credit “on properties we own” to finance his vision for the site.
“Our lakes need to be self-supporting, and this agreement satisfies that intent,” Mayor Stan Booker told Southwest Ledger.
“The first thing we need to do is get the store fixed and the campgrounds improved,” McCall told the Ledger.
McCall intends to renovate, rather than demolish, the existing store. He plans to repair the building to bring it up to contemporary codes “for use as a general store,” he wrote. Improvements will include electrical, HVAC, plumbing, and construction of an entrance and a restroom that are compliant with Americans with Disabilities regulations.
The building’s trusses will be rebuilt because, “We need to shore up the store’s roof to prevent its collapse,” McCall explained.
“We’ve got 18 months to bring that store up to modern standards,” he told the Ledger.
Snacks, live bait and lake accessories will be sold in the store at the outset, McCall said. “A lot of people like to fish” at Lake Ellsworth, he noted. Fuel sales will be introduced later, he indicated.
No alcoholic beverages and no tobacco products will be sold at the newly renamed Ralph’s Family Resort, McCall said.
Even though his family owns liquor stores, “We will not sell, beer, wine, or any products that contain alcohol,” he vowed. “We’re not trying to create a church camp,” he said. “Our goal is to provide a fun, safe, sober environment for families to come and enjoy the lake.”
McCall said he plans to reintroduce a café at the site. “There used to be one out there but it’s gone now,” he lamented. “We need to get people out there to eat breakfast and lunch, and to enjoy the view of the lake.”
The store and the café are not expected to generate a profit “due to operating costs and lack of customer traffic,” McCall wrote in his proposal. However, “We plan to offset costs by rentals of boats and golf carts, and a laundry facility.” In addition, the $5 per-day per-person cost for using the enclosed fishing arena will continue “until it is removed or is no longer safe,” he wrote.
McCall also plans to demolish the damaged dry stalls and replace them with new dry stalls for storage of boats and recreational vehicles, tear out the sinking 40-year-old wet boat storage facility, demolish the existing wet slips and construct new ones, build seven boathouse slips, replace the fishing arena with a new wet slip, and maintain the graveled roads at the site.
“We’ll start with 20 wet slips,” he said: 10 permanent and 10 available at daily and weekly rates. As the business grows, “We’ll add 20 more.”
The resort site already has a handicap-accessible boat ramp and dock that were built in 2019.
McCall intends to expand the campground at the site. He said he was told by Rural Water District #2 that a 2-inch water line in the area “will support two water meters needed for the addition of 20 new campsites.” One meter is already there and a second meter will be installed, Mc-Call indicated.
The state Department of Environmental Quality told him the existing sewage lagoon at the resort site “is more than capable of handling additional camping spots.” And Mc-Call said he also was told that the sewage lift station “can be expanded if needed” for the
Turn to RALPH’S, p4 new campsites and a planned café.
Construction projects at the site will be spaced out over a period of years, McCall told the Ledger.
Immediate projects will include removal of debris from the old boathouses; trimming overgrown trees, grass and weeds; removing dead and dying trees, grinding down the stumps, and planting suitable replacement trees; replacing old signs and adding new ones.
McCall will assume many responsibilities McCall will be expected to maintain “regular hours of business” and will be responsible for payment of all utilities and services used on the property, including water, sewer, electricity, natural gas, trash removal, telephone and internet.
He also must maintain the store “and all other property” and the grounds at the lake site.
McCall will be responsible for all repairs to and maintenance on any structures on the premises, as well as for demolition of structures at the site and proper disposal of the materials. The city will waive the fees for any material McCall hauls to the city landfill for disposal after a construction or demolition project at the lake.
The lessee also will be required to maintain an annual report of all expenditures and improvements made to the leased premises, “including construction, repairs and maintenance costs,” and provide a copy of the report to City Hall for review every year.
Perrys bail out, McCalls move in The Water Authority and John Perry entered into an agreement on Dec. 14, 1999, for the “operation of a lakeside concession located near Lake Ellsworth and commonly known as ‘Ralph’s Resort.’” The lease was amended in February 2010, and once again in October 2011 to add the names of Perry’s son and daughter-in-law, Steve and Sandra Perry. In January 2015 the lease was revised one more time to remove John Perry’s name after his death.
The Perrys notified city officials that they “are no longer interested in extending the lease agreement” for operation and management of Ralph’s Resort recreational area at Lake Ellsworth. That lease expires Dec. 31, 2024.
After negotiations between city staff and the Perrys, the City Council acting as the Water Authority voted May 2 to offer the Perrys $300,000 to buy them out.
On Dec. 10 the Water Authority and the City Council approved an initial 10-year lease with McCall, starting Jan. 1, 2025, with options for three five-year extensions.
During the initial term of his lease, Mc-Call will pay a token annual rent of $10 per year. “During this initial period” McCall “shall not be required to pay any percentage of gross sales as part of the lease payment,” the agreement provides. After the initial term expires and if the contract is renewed, the amount due will be $5,000 annually plus 5% of gross sales excluding gasoline purchases, “with an increase of $1,000 every year.”
“In the beginning we will have substantial building expenses and interest payments,” McCall wrote in his original lease proposal. “Around year 10, some of the things built in the beginning will start getting paid off, so that will allow for the increase in payments to the City of Lawton.”
If the lease is terminated before 10 years, McCall will be reimbursed for all of his actual construction costs.
After 10 years he would receive 75% of the actual incurred construction costs; after 15 years, 50% of the actual construction expenses. After 20 years, McCall would be compensated for 25% of his actual incurred construction costs.
At the end of 25 years, all of the improvements would be owned by the city.
McCall said Ralph’s Family Resort will be operated by himself and his wife, who live in Green Meadow Acres less than half a mile from Ralph’s Resort, along with their two sons. “We are in close proximity without having to live on-site.” The entire McCall family was born and reared in Comanche County.