BERRY PATCH CAMPGROUND SOLD TO RETAIL DEVELOPERS

January 26, 2007 - Rapid City, SD - After decades of providing an outdoor
stay for visitors to the Black Hills, the Berry Patch Campground has been
sold to a Cincinnati-based company looking to build a 900,000-square-foot
retail center along the southern edge of Interstate 90.
Months after negotiations first began, ETS Inc., owners of the campground,
and Midland Atlantic Properties came to an agreement last week.
"It's been a long time coming," said Donnie Patton, who along with David
Bradksy, owned the more than 14-acre site.
The sale provides Midland Atlantic with an integral piece needed for its
outdoor retail center, Rushmore Crossing, according to John Silverman,
managing principal for Midland Atlantic.
"We plan on closing on the rest of the property toward the end of April," he
said.
Construction will begin sometime this week with the first phase of the
project completed in October 2008, Silverman said.
The buildings on the campground will be demolished within the month, and the
remaining items such as picnic tables and electrical outlets will be
auctioned at 11 a.m. Sunday at the campground, Patton said.
Bradsky and Patton have owned the campground for five years, knowing that,
eventually, the area would be developed and the campground would be sold.
"We bought it as an investment," Patton said. "We knew the interchange was
coming, and we knew after it was done, it would be developed."
With the sale completed, Patton and Bradsky are now spreading the word of
the campground's closing.
"We are scrambling to get reservations canceled and inform everyone that we
are closed," Patton said.
The campground already had a few reservations scheduled, most for the
upcoming Sturgis motorcycle rally.
"We had a loyal following, and we regret to see that come to an end," Patton
said.
He added, however, that Rushmore Crossing will be a positive addition to
Rapid City.
"It's good to see Rapid City growing in the right direction," he said.
Rushmore Crossing is Midland Atlantic's first development in South Dakota.
"We had specific retailers that wanted us to build for them in Rapid City,"
Silverman said.
Although Rushmore Crossing will have features similar to Midland's other
developments, it will also reflect unique characteristics to the Black Hills
area, Silverman said.
Both Patton and Silverman said the sale would not have been possible without
the help of city officials, specifically Mayor Jim Shaw and growth
management director Marcia Elkins.
"Without their assistance, without their dedication to have good economic
development ... this project would not be happening," Silverman said.
(Information courtesy of the Rapid City Journal.)