ABOUT SPIRIT HAVEN
Land Management Office
2825 Bomar Ave.
Ft. Worth, TX 76103
Land Manager
Where is the land?
It is in Fayette County, between Smithville and Flatonia.
Are
there any pictures?
The "before"pictures are online. Look for the "after" pictures soon.
What does the land look like?
The physical description of the land is a long rectangle,
running east to west. The entrance is on the east end of
the rectangle. About 1/3 of the way onto the land, there
is a creek that completely crosses the property. A low-water
bridge is in place for crossing that creek. Along the creek
bed is a beautiful wooded area, with lots of old oak and
elm trees. The property itself is relatively flat, except
where it dips down for the creek. The main camping area
is open and flat, but currently overgrown with mesquite
trees. There is a line of trees that completely surrounds
the property, providing privacy and wind and noise barriers.
I don’t want to have to wait until the next festival.
Can we camp there sooner?
There are regularly scheduled work weekends in which volunteers
come and camp on the land and working on clearing camping
areas, building facilities and much more. If you would like
to come to the land between festivals, please volunteer
for one of those weekends.
How do I volunteer
for work weekends?
Read the guide and Contact
the Land Administration Team Leader, at Land Administrator.
This person will provide you with the details, rules and
times for working on the land.
Is there drinking water?
We have a well which provides water for our shower and toilet
facilities, but the water is not certified safe for drinking.
Is
there electricity?
There is electricity on the land, to run the pump for the
well, and to provide power for the events.
What about solar/windmill power for electricity?
The land committee has investigated these alternatives for
our use. However, those systems require regular maintenance,
and are very expensive to set up initially. With our limited
use of the land, it may not be practical to install such
systems. Even with such systems in place, it is still necessary
to have access to county electric power for those times
when there is not sufficient wind or sunlight to meet all
our needs.
What about environmental concerns and protections?
CMA is fortunate to have several environmental experts who
will help us plan and develop the land with the greatest
concern for our impact on it. Please keep in mind, however,
that any time we have 1,000+ people and their automobiles
on the land, we will be negatively impacting it. Our goal
is to prepare and develop the land in such a way as to help
reduce that impact as much as possible.
Will groups other than CMA be able to use it?
Contact Land Manager for information on renting Spirit Haven.
What are the neighbors like?
Fortunately, there are no houses on any of the immediately
surrounding properties. The nearest neighbor is almost a
mile away. That distance, combined with a nice barrier of
surrounding trees, should provide plenty of privacy for
CMA.
How close is the nearest town?
There is a small town approximately two miles away from
the site, but it consists of only a few buildings and houses.
The population is about 79 people total. It is primarily
made up of Catholic descendants of Czech immigrants. The
only church in town is Catholic.
Is it a “wet” county?
Yes.
What is the local police force/sheriff like?
We keep in contact with the sheriff’s office and ensure
they are aware of who we are and when our events will be
held. The sheriff is a retired Houston police officer and
his only concerns about us are that we be a “peaceful”
bunch. He has no objections to our purchase of the land
or our planned festivals out there.
What is the political climate of the area?
Fayette County is fairly evenly divided among Republican
and Democratic voters. There is already a Native American
group that has a gathering site in the county, and there
seems to be a fairly relaxed atmosphere of “live and
let live” in Fayette.
When
will we have showers/bathrooms/stage etc. on the land?
There are several indoor hot showers and a row of outdoor showers. The stage was been built next to the
Great Works tent.
How much money do we need to raise to develop the land?
As with most land ownership and development, this will be
a long-term project, and we will be raising money for continual
improvements for several years to come.
If I want to make a development contribution, who do
I send it to?
You can either give it to the Land Manager, to an Area Rep
or Board member at an event, or send a check to:
CMA Land Fund at
Land Management Office
P. O. Box 8030
Ft. Worth, TX 76124-0030
Land Manager
If I want to contribute supplies for the land development,
how do I do that?
Contact the Land Manager at Land Manager and let him know what you have to donate.
If I have a company whose services might be available
at a discounted rate for CMA, who do I contact?
Contact the Land Manager at Land Manager and let him know about it.
Are contributions of professional time and talent tax
deductible?
CMA is a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation and all donations
that would typically be tax-deductible to a nonprofit corporation
would also be tax-deductible here. You should consult your
tax advisor about your individual tax situation.