|
|
By RUSTY DENNEN
Tucked under the trees near the water at Lake Anna State Park are eight brand-new cabins that will be open for rentals beginning July 1.
The two- and three-bedroom cottages--built with some of the proceeds of a 2002 statewide bond issue--have all the amenities of home, including air-conditioning, fireplaces and even their own boat docks.
"I saw a report from the reservation center last week and there are about 10 reservations already," Doug Graham, manager of the park in Spotsylvania County, said yesterday.
Historically, cabins have been among the most sought-after spots in Virginia's parks. Some, such as the ones in Westmoreland State Park near Montross, were built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s, bringing back loyal renters year after year. On choice weekends, cabins at many parks are often rented months in advance.
Rental rates are standard: For example, during the prime season--Memorial Day through Labor Day--a two-bedroom cabin rents for about $617 a week.
The Lake Anna cabins--the first at the park--were supposed to have been available last summer. But construction delays, combined with a lack of money to operate and maintain the cabins, deferred their opening.
Two other new cabins intended for rental are being used to store things such as linens and supplies.
Also, a camping loop, which was to have opened this season, is expected to open next spring, Graham said. Outside contractors are being used to do the construction work, but park staffers will likely pitch in this winter to help move the project along, he said.
There will be 54 camp sites--half with water and electricity--six rustic camping cabins, two bathhouses with showers, and a dump station. Graham said he's not sure when campsites will be available on the park reservation system.
The cabins and campground are major improvements to the park, which has been open for daytime-use only since it opened in 1983.
Voters in 2002 overwhelmingly approved the $119 million bond issue for improvements to the 44 state parks and natural areas.
According to Gary Waugh, spokesman for the Department of Conservation and Recreation, 21 major projects are ongoing in 13 state parks.
For example, 27 campsites with water and electric and a bathhouse are under construction at Belle Isle State Park on the Rappahannock River in Lancaster County; a visitor center was recently completed at Wilderness Road State Park near Cumberland Gap in Lee County; work is under way on a new marina at Claytor Lake State Park in Southwest Virginia; five large cabins are being built at Kiptopeke State Park on the Eastern Shore; and cabins are going up at Bear Creek Lake State Park in Cumberland, and at James River State Park.
Some of those projects also have been hit by construction delays and by the lack of money for operations and maintenance. Bond-issue funds were generally earmarked for construction.
The funding shortfall was partially addressed by the General Assembly in its last session. In doling out money from an expected budget surplus, legislators earmarked an additional $18 million and 57 new positions for state parks, beginning this year. Only about $4 million of that was earmarked for operation and maintenance.
The legislature also chipped in another $7 million to cover higher-than-expected construction costs.
Johnny Finch, president of the Virginia Association For Parks, an advocacy group based in Bumpass, said the money will help move these projects along, but it's not enough.
"They're going to have to have more money. As these projects come online, the parks' operations and maintenance funds are going to have to be increased to keep pace," Finch said.
The association also has been pushing to more than double the number of full-time employees in the park system from 252 to 400.
Finch noted that Virginia's parks have been chronically short of money for years, adding that less than one penny of each tax dollar goes toward conservation and recreation programs. That dubious distinction makes Virginia dead last among states in parks funding.
To reach RUSTY DENNEN:
