Popular campground gets federal funding

Campers at Emerson Bay Recreation Area will see improved facilities with the help of a grant recently announced by U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley. (Photo by Russ Mitchell/DCN Staff)

One of the more popular campgrounds in the Iowa Great Lakes will see an upgrade, according to District Parks Supervisor Frank Rickerl for the Iowa Department of Natural Resources.

U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley recently announced a $179,722 grant to help construct a new shower and restroom facility at Emerson Bay Recreation Area near West Lake Okoboji.

"We already had a list of priority facilities that we knew needed to be replaced and Emerson Bay was one of those facilities," Rickerl said. "We have a couple of others in this area. Our restroom at the Highway 9 access is another one. But it's basically money set aside for infrastructure, repairs, shower buildings, bathrooms and sewer lines."

The funding will replace the older of two older shower and restroom facilities at Emerson Bay. The grant announced by Grassley should cover the entire cost of the project, according to Rickerl.

"It was basically a wood construction," Rickerl said of the building set for replacement. "The new one is a pre-fab, pre-cast concrete building. It comes in one-to-two pieces. They just set it there on the ground and it's ready to go."

The Land and Water Conservation Fund provides matching grants to help state and local governments purchase and develop public outdoor recreation areas and facilities, according to Grassley's office.

"The investments intend to create and maintain a nationwide legacy of high quality recreation areas and facilities across the U.S. and to stimulate non-federal investments in the protection and maintenance of recreation resources," the senator's statement said.

Rickerl said the delivery date for the pre-cast concrete replacement building is tentatively set for a late May or early June arrival. Campers may notice a bit of disruption during the sewer line work and as building segments for the new restroom and shower house arrive.

Crews will also do some sewer line replacement at Gull Point, Rickerl said.

Green Valley State Park near Creston and the Des Moines County Conservation Board also received Land and Water Conservation Fund grants, according to Grassley.