By Rachel Hall
Members of the community and residents of East Fork RV Resort gathered on July 1 to celebrate the grand opening of phase II renovations to the property with a summertime party hosted by the new owners of the RV park and campground.
“We are a family-owned business. We bought this property about a year ago, and, since then, have expanded the number of RV spots, adding 81 new full hook-up sites, and completed other upgrades to make the property similar to that of a high-end hotel or apartment complex with added amenities,” explained Owner Patrick Gorman.
The phase II projects included adding kayaks to the lake, pickleball and basketball, a dog park, music, speakers, karaoke, an outdoor kitchen area, a honkey tonk with televisions, billiards, and darts, firepits, additional parking, and two Tesla charging stations, according to Gorman, who invested in the resort with his wife and children hoping to keep it in the family for generations to come.
“We are keeping it long term. We are not flipping it and leaving Cleveland. My son is 13 years old and on paperwork is 10 percent owner of this park. It will be here for him and his kids and their kids,” said Gorman.
His 7-year-old daughter, Winnie, added, “My favorite thing here is riding golf cars and the kayaks. People should get a snowcone and jump in the pool and ride golf carts and go kayaking.”
The pool onsite is not the only water available for guests to use for their recreation, though the pool is popular and comes with a new deck, upgraded pool furniture, and an outdoor shower. East Fork RV Resort sits on 98 acres and approximately 60 percent of the property is water, according to Gorman. While fishing in the lakes is welcomed any day, there are signs warning guests of live alligators being spotted on site and to be aware before being tempted to jump into the water.
“We do have 12 glamping units near the water. We have also added walking trails and made improvements in the back of the property where people drive golfcarts through and easily navigate the path. We have fishing passes available. All of our passes and rates can be found on our website,” said Gorman.
Residents, such as 82-year-old Charlotte Miears, specifically selected living at East Fork RV Resort for the abundance of nature on the property.
“Sometimes I take a thermos of coffee and spend two or three hours in the forest,” she said.
Miears chose her home four years ago after visiting five options of RV parks along the US Hwy 59 corridor and noticing East Fork RV Resort was the only location that didn’t have trees close enough to RV spots to cause damage from trees or limbs falling in a storm, but also had plenty of nature to explore.
“I like the rivers and the lakes and the forest,” she said about the peaceful setting she enjoys exploring each day. “I am a nature lover. I do the nature photography here.”
Miears praised the customer service for elderly residents, such as herself, as being topnotch. Maintenance staff on the property regularly check on residents and lend a helping hand.
“Sometimes ‘Chili Mac’ stops by to check on me and offers to take my trash out on his way or checks to see if I still have paper towels on the roll, because he knows I can’t reach up to the top where I store them,” she said, speaking about the little things that make a big difference.
Customer service is a priority to the Gorman family who run what is considered a 10-10-10 RV Resort – a recognition very few RV parks in America can claim.
“Our park is a 10-10-10 – there is only about 20 of them in America, but we have the plaque here. That represents cleanliness of restrooms, all the way down to how people answer phone calls, and maintenance. Across the board, we are a very highly-ranked park and we want people to get that experience and get the benefits of living in an RV,” said Gorman.
The expansion and renovation efforts have not gone unnoticed by guests or motorists passing by whiling traveling the freeway who see the lakes and grounds from the road.
“It is so beautiful here, and it is an amazing experience for the people who come stay here at East Fork RV Resort. They get to experience Cleveland and what we are all about,” said Greater Cleveland Chamber President Victoria Good who helped celebrate the ribbon cutting.
The City of Cleveland has been a partner in helping to facilitate the acquisition and improvements of the RV resort with additional plans for more expansion in the near future, according to Gorman who praised EDC Director Robert Reynolds and other city staff for helping him each step of the way to get the project going and completed with room for more growth planned.
“We welcome everyone to come here and check everything out. We are only going to make it better, and we are going to set a standard for RV parks in general. We want to make sure that everybody is happy,” said Gorman.
For more information, visit eastforkrvresort.com or follow East Fork RV Resort on Facebook.
