Henry County Conservation board shifting focus from Water Works Campground to improvements across entire park

The Henry County Conservation board is considering the idea of turning Water Works Campground, which floods annually, into a wetland habitat to give visitors another attraction at Oakland Mills Park.

The board scheduled a trip to Water Works during a regular meeting in September for a first-person look at the campground and how it floods where the campground is lower than the riverbank. Upon re-evaluation, the board introduced the idea of making improvements to the entire park instead of just making the one campground better.

'Where the board is headed now, I think it's a good idea,” said Conservation Director John Pullis during a Board of Supervisors meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 9. 'I don't think we're ever going to eliminate those campgrounds being closed because of flooding … (but) let's look at it as a total project.”

Pullis has been in discussion with the board and various engineers for almost a year over what to do with Water Works, saying in June that a two- to- three-foot increase in elevation could be the difference between a flooded Water Works Campground and grounds that will be usable throughout the summer months. This could be achieved by moving the campground inland from where it currently is at an elevation of 567 feet to 569 to 580 feet elevation.

Pullis added that these engineering assessments will not be money that is thrown down the drain as the board shifts its focus to making improvements to the entire park instead of just focusing on the campgrounds. Rather, upgrading the campgrounds will be something added to upgrade the park in the future.

While initial engineering costs to move Water Works Campground came back high, Pullis foresees the department making upgrades in cost-effective phases.

The conversations surrounding potential upgrade to the park and improvements to the campground come at a time when the department is finishing up two additional cabins at Oakland Mills.

The cabins are nearly completed, but rain has the department 'in a holding pattern” as they wait for the ground to dry to put in electrical work.

The bathrooms in the cabins will look a little different from planned too. They will be finished with concrete drywall that will have a pattern stamped into it. The floor will be tapered so if the toilet or sink overflows, it will flow toward a shower drain to avoid flooding the cabin.

The concrete drywall also will ensure that the showers are ADA compliant, avoiding an almost $2,400 price tag for two ADA compliant showers. With the concrete drywall, the department can install their own bathroom grab bars and shower seats.

In other news, the Conservation board approved selling a bus the department purchased a decade ago through a state grant. The bus will be sold through the Government Surplus Auctions site upon approval from the state.

Pullis said that while the department used the bus a lot in the first few years of purchase, it's tapered off over the years. The last event it was used for was jail tours by the county Sheriff's Office two to three years ago, he said.

The bus has close to 300,000 miles on it and is not handicap accessible. Pullis does not think the department will purchase a new bus at this time.

The board also approved the River Disc Golf Course rental agreement and fees. The course was added to the list of facilities on mycountyparks.com. Anyone interested in renting the facility can go to the website to make a reservation. The department is charging $100 per event.

The course still is open to use to the general public unless it has been rented out. The rental agreement does not cover the Woodland Disc Golf Course.

Pullis said his main concern that pushed him in the direction of wanting a rental agreement was during tournaments, the public was excluded from using the disc golf courses. 'I think there needs to be a fee charge whenever we exclude general public use,” he said.