REGIONAL — A week after the St. Louis County Board authorized civil litigation over a zoning dispute involving Rough N It Campground on Black Bay, property owner Christine Wyrobek told commissioners on Tuesday that she’s no longer renting out the site and believes the matter should now be considered resolved.
The board’s Sept. 2 vote cleared the way for the county attorney’s office to seek a court order to halt what officials have described as the ongoing operation of a commercial campground in a residential zoning district. Assistant County Attorney Nick Campanario told the board that the county had spent several years attempting to resolve the issue without success, including efforts that went well beyond the county’s typical enforcement measures. He said legal action was now the only remaining option.
Wyrobek responded to that threat in an email sent to county staff on Sept. 8, ahead of this week’s board meeting, held Tuesday at the Toivola Town Hall.
“The property I own located on Black Bay Channel on Lake Vermilion that was being investigated is not available for rent,” Wyrobek wrote. “There is no intentions of renting the property. It is believed that any advertisement for renting has been removed; any unknown locations where renting advertising is found is an oversight and does not imply we are attempting to rent the property.”
Wyrobek also appeared in person at the Tuesday board meeting to deliver the same message publicly, reiterating her position that she is no longer offering camping for a fee and arguing there is no longer any basis for the county to pursue enforcement.
At Tuesday’s meeting, the board adopted a revised version of last week’s resolution. The new language preserves the county’s ability to move forward with litigation but eliminates the requirement for another board vote should officials determine that zoning violations are continuing. That authority now rests entirely with the county attorney’s office.
The campground, which Wyrobek previously described as a nonprofit venture intended to provide free camping to military veterans while charging others, began operating in August 2023. That came after the St. Louis County Planning Commission recommended denial of her rezoning application, which the Board of Commissioners later rejected.
County officials have said they made repeated attempts over the past two years to resolve the situation before requesting authority to bring the matter to court. Those efforts included multiple forms of outreach and attempted dialogue with Wyrobek and her legal representatives.