Abram's Creek Lodge & Family Campground

An Eco-Friendly Campground & Retreat

Stream-Front Wilderness Camping, Cabin / Cottage & Tipi rentals & Bed and Breakfast Lodging
Located off U.S. Rt. 50, 3 miles east of Mt. Storm, WV

Caretaker Role - Job Description

Caring for the Lodge House / Bed and Breakfast and Campground Guests and Properties

Interested persons may contact Vince at 703-328-1840 or e-mail vlombardi2003@msn.com. Postion is available as early as February 1, 2009 or earlier.

Lodge House Caretaker -- Skills Desired:

independent, self-reliable man (preferred) who is kind yet assertive enough to be in charge
ability to work independently and in groups
has a general passion in keeping a home clean and beautiful – treating it as their own
a male caretaker is sought due to the isolated location of this campground amd dormitory style accommodations coupled with frequent male tenants thorughout our slow season.
folks with young children -- sorry, not interested. Also, no pets in the house, no exceptions.
has good communication-social skills
can answer phones and return or pass on phone messages as well as check missed calls and return them prompty.
mechanical skills a plus (handy if something needs to be fixed or repaired, but not required)
a love for wilderness/ nature,
eco-conscious / eco-minded, environmentally friendly & aware
vegetarian, healthy life-style a plus, but not required
non-drug user / non-alcoholic a requirement (drinking on occassion in moderation okay).
non-smoker a plus (no smoking inside of the Lodge House)
have your own vehicle a big plus
prefer someone who goes to bed at a reasonable hour and rises relatively early (i.e. rises by 8:00am). Late night personalities may be inconsistant with our Lodge House Quiet Hours and Guest / Tenant sleep schedules
knowledge of first aid / CPR a plus

This individual shall be living at the Lodge House 7 days a week; weekends and other possible times off when needed or requested for leave. However, your presence during busy Lodge House / Campground weekends and events are a big plus and greatly appreciated, as this individual can assist in maintaining order and to provide guidance to guests. A 10% commission of all Lodge House fees will be paid to the caretaker for their role in registering and assisting guests in getting them settled into their respective rooms and weekly house cleaning duties. 10% of campground fees are also paid for administering general guidance to campers / cabin renters and basic campsite clean up after busy weekends. Other financial details below.

Caretaker should be present (along with owner) to receive/ assist guests during busy high season weekend check-in hours, to answer phones when the owner is not present, keep the house clean, to wash bedding after guests leave and in general keep the place beautiful (guests do clean up after themselves in the kitchen). Duration of service for this individual will vary depending on their skill set, motivation and desire (we are seeking someone who can make a minimum 6 month commitment, but longer periods are encouraged and beneficial to all parties). Our current caretaker has been with us for more than 2 years so far.

Due to the remote location of this campground, and a lot of male hikers / campers / male contractors-tenants staying in the facility, as well as the dormitory style accomodations available, a male caretaker is sought.

In exchange for their duties as “Caretaker” of the Lodge, this Caretaker will receive:

Free lodging (private bedroom on the 2nd floor of the house) and complete use of Lodge House and all of it's amenities
Access to all events and happenings at the Lodge and Campground (see 2009 Schedule of Events and Workshops at www.abramscreek.com)
Free utilities including:
unlimited long distance phone service (2 lines)
free high speed satellite internet use
free computer use
free electric / heat
free use of washer / dryer
free use of a well stocked and equipped kitchen
free satellite TV
free access to all workshops held at the lodge and possibly most held at the campground
Food & Life basic staples supplied including: paper towels, tissue paper, soaps and laundry detergents, spices, sugar, flour, rice and lentils, butter, cooking oils and sprays, and most other basic staples required to run a house and kitchen. We CANNOT supply your main course or side dish meals or fresh vegetables, etc. on a regular basis, however, frequently we do as guests and the owner/manager leave vast amounts of fresh and packaged foods behind for the house.
We CANNOT supply your transportation or transportation costs but have a campground FARM vehicle. Owner does take frequesnt in-town shopping trips on weekends with caretaker.
use of the whole lodge house and enjoyment of the campground and it's amenities / natural features.

The caretaker's bedroom is located on the 2nd floor, shares a bathroom with one upstairs guest bedroom, has a nice sized closet, and a very nice window facing the front yard of the Lodge House. It includes a comfortable bunk bed (sleeps one on bottom bunk, and a guest of yours on the top bunk possible). The caretaker's bedroom has a telephone, basic furnishings, and is clean and well maintained. The owner has a bedroom in the finished basement area, 2 floors below.

What we would like in exchange for all of the above:

A person who lives in the home and cares for the home as if it were their own—keeping up it’s appearance and helping to keep it’s guests happy when other Lodge House staff are not available. Your presence provides security to this rural retreat (home does include monitored ADT alarm system with outdoor siren and video surveillance system).
You are the front man / salesman of this business in the owner's absence and when he is here -- do your best to sell the place (cabin rental, campsites, lodge house room, etc.) to whomever is on the phone or on the front porch.
Basic lawn maintenance not required (we have a lawn maintenance person).
Keeping the house neat and orderly, including performing a list of weekly and monthly cleaning chores as needed -- vacumming / mopping / cleaning bathrooms as needed...
Answering the phone and taking messages or passing on Vince’s number for more detailed information regarding lodging / camping/ retreat.
Being available for scheduled maintenance appointments and contractors when other Abram’s Creek staff are not available. You would need to let them in and roughly supervise if needed during their work.
Overseeing new winter monthly rental tenants and their minimal needs.
Collecting money from weekly / monthly tenants and any guests that may stay at the Center / Lodge during the week when Campground staff not present.
Sleep schedule must be consistent with business hours.
Prefer someone won't view keeping a household neat and clean as burdensome chores
Need someone who can enforce our House Rules to our guests, our own staff members, and lives by them themselves. Quiet Hours and the No Shoes policy are especially important to enforce for all guests and tenants peace and serenity.
There are no set number of hours required for this caretaker position. As long as the house is kept clean and missed phone calls are returned, the caretaker is free to find handyman work in the community, take scenic drives, hand out with new or old friends, etc. In fact, during slow times, there is very little to do, except perhaps extra project work at $10/hr. if interested.
Note: the owner is present Friday mornings thorugh Monday mornings all year round, and more so in the summer.

Other Caretaker Responsibilities:

Check mail often (at least every other day) – place mail into mail slots in kitchen
If kitchen or other trash cans get noticeably dirty, please wipe down
If noticeable smudges appear on a door or near a door knob or light switch, please wipe down periodically
Change out recycling bags if they get full – both in basement and in laundry room area -- put full into garage
Place all full trash bags into outside dumpster
Note: Please check periodically, that basement lights and heaters are not on / running after tenants leave for work. Also, ask tenants not to run basement bedroom electric heaters much higher than 67 degrees as it creates a huge increase in the electric bill.
Note: Please do not disturb tenants in basement after 9/9:30pm at night as they need to go to bed to wake by 5am. Do enforce Quiet Hours among them and basement TV off by 10pm.

Financial Compensation:

10% commission will be paid weekly to the caretaker for all fees paid related to the Lodge House, including those for weekly boarding, daily bedding, and speical events.
10% commission on all campground income (camping / cabins / tipi's).
Frequent work opportunities will arise both at the Lodge House and at the campground where additonal monies can be made on a regular basis at $10/hour.
If you are a skilled handyman, and have a vehicle, you are free to take on jobs / work in the community, esp. during the morning and afternoon hours.
If you possess marketable workshop type skills (i.e yoga instructor, artist, etc.) you are free to market (with my help) workshops throughout the year where you keep the monies made.
There are no benefits available such as health care or vision or dental -- sorry
Last years wages to the current caretaker were around $8,000 based on strictly the percentages quoted above -- not enough for somebody with lots of bills, mortgages, or big debts to live on -- again -- this may not be the right match for you. This income did not include extra paid jobs. We are a young and still developing retreat and our total income is still below $100,000/yr.
As an affordable retreat and campground, our business is thriving during the economic downturn and we actually saw a 50% increase in business between 2007 and 2008. We expect to have a good year in 2010.
There are only a couple of slow months typically during the whole year, and as time passes, we are working on filling those time periods with workshops and events that utilize whole lodge house rentals -- a significant source of income for both the campground and caretaker.

Lessons learned from past Caretakers

Caretaker should shower daily, wear respectable clothes for running a tenant / guest house, and wash hair and keep appearance neat and clean daily.
Please do not crank our whole house thermostat beyond 69 degrees. It takes a huge amount of additional energy to raise a 4,000 square foot house even 1 degree, let alone 5,6, or 7 degrees.
Be extremely courteous and helpful to potential guests on the phone and in person. Frequently, people are considering several locations for their vacation and it is up to us to sell them on ours -- we get one chance -- do a good job.
Please be very conscientious of our tenants Quiet / Sleep Hours, particularly Sunday night through Thursday night. Our tenants are frequently are in bed by 9/10pm to be up by 5am. Loud TV’s, noisy foot stomping, excessive noise on kitchen floor or any stair case, reverberates downstairs.
Please give our tenants peace in their basement area / space after 9:30pm.
Arguing / fighting with guests or tenants -- DO NOT.
Please do enforce all House Rules with tenants, as well as any overnight guests in the house. Also, we must abide by the same rules that we enforce as well.
Please do enforce the “No Shoes in House” rule. This really helps to minimize cleaning efforts and reduces noise on hard floors.
Most guests visit between Friday night and Sunday. All cleaning chores, after the weekend guests depart, should be spread out over 4-5 days so as to never be too much work on any one day and to allow a good job at caring for the house. Figure about 5 hours per week of total work after a busy weekend.
Absolutely no pets in the house. Not guests pets, not our own.
The basement is an equally important area of the house to keep clean (vacuuming / dusting / monthly floor mopping / keeping bathrooms clean and trash/ recycling bins emptied). Our tenants are a big part of our financial livelihood for the winter and they should be kept happy and feel good about the place that they live.

Negative (undesireable) Personality Traits:

Acting like a hippie / dressing like a hippie / Giving my guests the impression that this campground / lodge house is hippie central (drug central) -- it is not.
Illegal drug use of any kind is never acceptable
hitting on guests / coming on strongly on guests, particularly unwanted and to the point where the guest feels uncomfortable. This is grounds for expulsion from the caretaker job / position.
Your private bedroom / personal space is trashed frequently and never cleaned -- not acceptable.
Poor body hygeine is not accpetable -- daily showers, neatly kept washed hair, and no body odor a must
No pets
No public displays of personal belief systems or religions (i.e. tarot cards for pagenism or strange spiritual nick names -- sorry, we are very mainstream, as are most of our guests). Please save spiritual names for your friends and any rituals or ceremonies for your private bedroom space.

Interested persons may contact Vince at 703-328-1840 or e-mail vlombardi2003@msn.com. Position is available as early as February 1, 2009 or earlier.

Please Note:
If you are a drug user, you need not apply for this position.

Note: Our last caretaker was here for at least 1 year, 6 months. Longer opportunity exists for the right individual.

Abram's Creek Lodge & Family Campground

An Eco-Friendly Campground & Retreat

Stream-Front Wilderness Camping, Cabin / Cottage & Tipi rentals & Bed and Breakfast LodgingLocated off U.S. Rt. 50, 3 miles east of Mt. Storm, WV

Caretaker Role - Job Description

Caring for the Lodge House / Bed and Breakfast and Campground Guests and Properties

Stream-Front Wilderness Camping, Cabin / Cottage & Tipi rentals & Bed and Breakfast Lodging
Located off U.S. Rt. 50, 3 miles east of Mt. Storm, WV