VIDALIA, La. – Riverview RV Park partners Larry Chauvin and Cappy Stahlman are certain the park will have 40 RV pads operational by Oct. 20, when this year’s Great Mississippi Balloon Race starts.

The scene taking place at the site, which lies south of the Mississippi River bridge, on Friday afternoon would seem to bear that out.

There, heavy equipment operators from three firms — Camo Construction, Edgin Construction and Georgetown Construction — were busy preparing ground and pouring concrete for the pads.

&uot;Things are looking good,&uot; said Camo Construction Owner Mike Grantham, surveying the scene of a piece of heavy equipment he was using, working alongside the others.

And they better be ready — they have already sold out of spaces for that weekend.

As of this weekend, construction of the park is just 35 to 40 percent complete. But Stahlman, who is supervising construction, said he expects the park to be complete by the balloon race weekend.

Not only that, but crews are already working to renovate the former Atlas Construction building at the 35-acre site for use as a reception building.

&uot;That should also be ready by the balloon race weekend,&uot; Chauvin said.

The $1.5 million park has already hosted small groups as spaces have been ready to accommodate them. In fact, Chauvin said a small group of &uot;RVers&uot; camped at the site last weekend.

Another group of 30 enthusiasts, the Holiday Ramblers, was allowed to camp there in June even though the site was not completely ready.

A grand opening is tentatively scheduled for March 1, 2001, Stahlman said. The facility will probably have 150 pads ready by that date.

&uot;And depending on how business goes with 150 pads, we could eventually double that number (of RV pads),&uot;&160;Chauvin said.

Studies have shown that RV users spend an average of $75 a day in the towns they visit, which would greatly boost the local economy, according to Chauvin.