Gillette WY Recreation Vocation Lunacy

The Campbell County Economic Development Corporation had a booth at the Quartzsite RV show this last week. They were touting a new program they drummed up while obviously smoking something illegal (well…. maybe it’s not illegal in Wyoming – who knows anymore.)
It seems the town of Gillette Wyoming doesn’t have enough teenagers to work fast food in the summer. So, they are courting RVers in a program they call “Recreation Vocation” in which RVers are invited to bring their rigs to Gillette to live and work for the summer. They have a “booming energy economy and not enough workers.” They also don’t have enough housing so they want the RV community to bail them out by bringing their own houses. For this you get to earn $8 to $13 per hour (This is false advertising because their website as of today doesen't list any jobs for $13 per hour most are for much less) flipping burgers, making tacos or cleaning hotel rooms. The jobs shown on the front of the brochure they handed out (see below) are for Taco bell, Burger King, Conoco KwikShop, Pizza Hut and McDonalds. They only list one fun job “golf course marshals,” gee how many of those do you think they need? They also list these fun jobs, “Restaurant hostesses and city park maintenance workers.” When you look at the website you learn that all they really have are CRUMMY jobs available.Now, I think this is a great concept and many RVers would love to do these CRUMMY jobs for a few months if you provided them FREE – Get it Campbell County – FREE campsite facilities (including laundry and shower facilities) and NO additional FEES. You are asking the RV community for a HUGE favor and this is what they get - for $12.00 a day they get to live in the squalor of a 100 space fairground parking lot (with full hook-ups - I could make a joke here, but I will refrain) and on top of that they get to pay $35.00 per person per vehicle every 90 days AND they get to work at fast food joints, get held up at the local 7-11 and pay income taxes to boot. Apparently if you are from a state other than Wyoming you also have to have a Green Card.

If that wasn’t bad enough, you’re asking the RV community to give up the PRIME travel season of the year, May 1 through September 30, 2007 to bail out your local economy! Please go BACK to the drawing board and come up with a better deal for the RVing community! They have many MUCH better work camping opportunities in (can I be frank) much nicer places. So get a clue Gillette! Sheesh!