By Kelly Trudeau, Reporter

 

As mentioned in the May issue of the Loon Lake Times, Silver Beach Resort at Waitts Lake (just outside of Valley) has adapted a new private membership model to make a more pleasant experience for those staying at the resort. The other two resorts at Waitts Lake have also seen recent changes as Waitts Lake Resort (on the north side of the lake) and Winona Beach Resort (on the east side of the lake) have new owners as of this year.

 

Waitts Lake RV Resort sees major construction, goes private

Waitts Lake, a four hundred seventy two acre lake tucked away west of Highway 395 past downtown Valley, boasts some great fishing and boating and a great escape outside of Spokane. That was the appeal to four investors from Spokane who purchased Waitts Lake Resort this last fall and took on the task to completely overhaul the entire property to modernize it, clean it up and turn it into a very appealing private RV and AirBnB resort.

One managing partner, Brandon Michielli, said their group of investors wanted to make Waitts Lake Resort something they could all be proud of, making the area safe and inviting for all guests and somewhere they will be able to spend time with their own families. They have been able to accomplish this by pooling a variety of talents and resources – and experience of owning other investment properties – to really improve the feel of the entire resort.

 

Michielli owns Circle M Construction and Landscape Supply, and his other managing partner, Burkley Barratt, owns Northwest Rock and Dirt. Since purchasing the property last fall, one of the first obvious changes they made was to install the new beautiful rock wall along the road using locallysourced materials. There is also a brand-new community gravel fire pit area featuring multiple fire pits with seating using the same landscape material. It has created a great atmosphere along the beach front property that includes a large sandy beach and swimming area with docks, boat launch and lawn area. There are also a newly renovated men’s and women’s bathrooms.

 

Another investor includes Nick Barnes, owner of On-Top Realty, which is the company that will be managing all RV site reservations. Michielli said the waterfront sites have all been improved with new waterlines and 50-amp power hook-ups, and each are nice wide sites with their own picnic table and a soft column light. Right now, they are focused on reserving seasonal RV guests, but plan to open it up to weekend guests as well. Improvements to the upper lot sites include a brand-new shower house and plans to add a basketball court and playground for guests to enjoy. Within the next year, the upper property will be developed into 30 additional RV sites to make a total of about 80 sites in all. A local couple, Michelle and Chris Danley, will be managing the day-to-day maintenance of the RV sites and resort property.

 

The five cabins on the upper property have also been completely renovated, inside and out, expertly and beautifully decorated, and are now available through AirBnB for any number of nights. Most people driving by the resort have probably noticed the brand-new construction taking place at the building that was formerly the Waitts Lake restaurant and store. It is now going to be three all new AirBnB waterfront vacation rentals with at least two bedrooms and one bath each, all with back decks overlooking the water. Michielli said that it was not reasonable for them to keep the building with all the upgrades it needed, and none of the investors had an interest in managing a restaurant; although, they would not be opposed to finding a way to lease property in the future to someone who would want to offer food options on site. AirBnB Reservations should open up as soon as construction is completed by late July or early August.

 

The beach front is no longer open to day-use visitors as the new owners want to keep it as manageable, safe and appealing as possible to those staying at the resort. Michielli hopes that their guests and the local community see the differences they have made as something positive to improve the overall appeal of Waitts Lake. He said they are all putting a lot of their own time and effort into this project and really want it to be successful. They have made it a true personal investment that their guests can really enjoy.

 

For more information or to make reservations, go to Waitts Lake RV Resort and Cabins on Facebook or visit waittslakerental.com. You can also call 509-777-0008.