Photo / Courtesy Daigle Commercial Group
The 32 acres includes 17 acres of undeveloped, level and dry land, providing expansion potential.
Updated: August 5, 2024
Snowboard enthusiast scoops up West Bethel campground
Photo / Courtesy Daigle Commercial Group
Pleasant River Campground in West Bethel was marketed as an opportunity in an active recreation market.
An enthusiast of snowboarding has discovered that the Bethel area is great not only for the sport but also for real estate investment.
Josh Gangi bought the Pleasant River Campground, at 800 West Bethel Road in West Bethel, from Pleasant River Campground Inc. for an undisclosed price.
The property was listed for $1.75 million.
Roger Daigle and Stanley Rintz of Daigle Commercial Group brokered the transaction.
“I love the area,” Gangi said.
Active market
West Bethel is a village in the Oxford County town of Bethel. The property was marketed as a gateway to Maine's Lakes and Mountains region and an opportunity “for outdoor enthusiasts seeking a retreat that blends the traditions of rustic camping with modern amenities.”
Bethel is near the Sunday River and Mt. Abram ski areas, the White Mountain National Forest and Grafton Notch State Park.
The site is on the Pleasant River and has access to canoeing, fishing, hiking and biking. The property came with 15 canoes, 14 kayaks and two canoe/kayak trailers.
Facilities include a camp store, flat tent sites, RV sites with full hookups, an in-ground pool with gazebo, restrooms, and outdoor activities such as barbecues, horseshoes, volleyball and a playground.
There are 75 campsites, including 18 with water, electric and sewer; 29 with water and electric; and 28 without.
The 32 acres includes 17 acres of undeveloped, level and dry land. The undeveloped section includes a dedicated entrance and provides potential for expansion, as well as an opportunity for additional income from winter boat and RV storage, according to the listing. An owner’s residence includes a 40-foot by 40-foot garage.
The campground was established in 1970, the residence in 1996 and the camp store in 2016.
The lodging market is active in the area.
Photo / Courtesy Daigle Commercial Group
Facilities include an in-ground pool, camp store and playground. The buyer envisions adding more types of accommodations.
“It’s a very active market due to its popularity as a four-season tourism destination,” said Rintz.
The listing sold within a few months.
“It generated some really good activity, local and out-of-state,” he said.
Side gig
The buyer, Josh Gangi, is an engineer who lives in Boston.
“Snowboarding brought me to Bethel,” he said.
With real estate investment as a side gig, he owns five vacation-rental houses in the Bethel area. Last November, he bought the Inn at Rostay on Route 2 in Bethel and the closest motel to Sunday River Ski Resort, according to its website.
Daigle Commercial Group was involved in that transaction as well.
Photo / Courtesy The Inn at Rostay
Gangi bought the Inn at Rostay in Bethel last November and invested in improvements that included updated rooms, furniture and fixtures.
The inn was in rough shape at the time, said Gangi, who invested a six-figure sum in Improvements that included updated rooms, interior renovations, furniture, fixtures, lighting, paint, plumbing, lots of landscaping, a hot tub and roofing. The year-round property consists of three buildings that were closed one at a time during renovations so that the property could remain open throughout that period.
Geodomes, campers
By contrast, Gangi said, the campground was in great shape from the get-go.
“But we’ll be expanding and adding more accommodations,” he said. “We’ll add geodomes, glamping domes, hot tubs, a sauna, some log cabins, some rental campers.”
Photo / Courtesy Josh Gangi
Josh Gangi, a snowboard enthusiast, discovered the Bethel area is great not only for the sport but also for real estate investment.
The investment is expected to be about $500,000, financed with commercial business loans.
The campground brings customers from throughout Maine and New England and beyond, including Canada, he said.
Gangi said he enjoys investing in the lodging market.
“I love giving people a clean, fun, enjoyable, memorable place to stay and things to do,” he said.
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