Work, planning, progressing on Beaver Creek Park

While use of the park has not been in high swing in the last few weeks, planning and preparing for work at Beaver Creek Park has been.

Park Superintendent Chad Edgar told the Hill County Park Board Monday night that ice fishermen and a few snowmobilers have used the park recently, but not much else.

“The snow just won’t go away,” he added.

But work on the park has been happening, including bids being let out for projects to repair flood damage on the park last year and in previous years.

The president declared Beaver Creek Park part of a federal flood disaster area in 2010, 2011 and 2013.

Edgar said, weather permitting, the work to repair flood damage should be starting in May or June.

Board member Robbie Lucke asked about two specific sites hit hard in all three floods: Fireman’s Campground and Lions Campground.

Edgar said the project for Fireman’s was one put out for bid last week. It will include moving the pavilion up from its current location to higher ground, and does not replace the foot bridge that had been at the site. Edgar said the bridge was in a flood plain and replacing it was not approved.

As for Lions Campground, he said a study still is in the works, which likely will recommend rerouting the creek through the site. Edgar said the flooding has eliminated the channel for Beaver Creek in the area, and Great West Engineering is suggesting the creek be rerouted about where it now is, or moved it to the other side of the pavilion.

The board also heard more about plans to use money the Federal Emergency Disaster Agency has offered for “the betterment of the park” in lieu of replacing a bridge at Blackie Coulee.

Edgar said the decision — nine agencies were involved — was to not replace the bridge but to build a crossing instead. FEMA offered about $167,000 that would have been used to replace the bridge to be used for the betterment of the park, instead.

He said he and the county commissioners still are working on the details, which has a June 1 deadline to be presented to FEMA.

Edgar said some of the ideas are replacing the park’s skidsteer loader, which, he added, “is on its last leg,” a trailer for the skidsteer, possibly other vehicles for the park, new outhouses and possibly work on walking trails.

Hill County Commissioner Mark Peterson said using the money for the betterment of the park instead of repairing disaster damage has “never been done before, that we’re aware of, in this area.”

He said the ideas the county commission and Edgar are working on are for multi-purpose items: the trailer they are looking at for the skidsteer could also be used to haul material to sites; if a truck is purchased it could be used for many different projects.

Lucke also asked about how the work at Lions Campground could affect the historic Dillon’s Campground next to Lions. As the oldest and most historic part of the park, Lucke said, the board should use extreme care to make certain that site is not impacted.

Edgar and Peterson said the Lions Campground work should not affect Dillon’s Campground. Peterson said he would obtain more information from Great West Engineering, which is doing the study, and provide it to Lucke for his review.

Audience member Lou Hagener praised a public meeting held Feb. 17 to collect ideas on what should be done to improve the park and how it should be used, But, Hagener added, probably not all views and ideas were shared at the meeting. He suggested conducting a survey to find a more representative sample of the ideas people in the county have.

He added that work to try to commission a drainage wide study of Beaver Creek seems to be a step in the right direction for managing the park. The Hill County Commission is looking for funding for such a study of the creek, which has suffered severe flooding three of the last four years.

Audience member Lowell Alcock also suggested a possible cost-saver for the park. He said Hill County Electric Cooperative could be asked to conduct a free energy audit to find ways to reduce the monthly power bill for the park.