Recreation area still closed

Pace of Lake Wedington proposals review frustrating users

FAYETTEVILLE — Federal officials are still reviewing proposals that could lead to the reopening of the Lake Wedington Recreation Area, and some interested in the work say they are disappointed there is no timeline for making any decision.

“We’re going on six months, and they haven’t moved forward,” Kathy Mason said of the Forest Service’s pace. Mason has worked at the recreation area with the local Master Naturalists group and with local historic preservation groups.

“Obviously, the park is not going to be open in 2024,” she said. “This is the fourth year that it’s been closed to the public.”

The Forest Service, a division of the federal Department of Agriculture, issued a request last year for “expressions of interest” from any groups or entities interested in partnering with the Forest Service to provide increased services at the Lake Wedington Recreation Area.

“The Forest Service would like to explore the potential of entering into a partnership or collaboration that provides increased services at the Lake Wedington Recreation Area in Fayetteville, Arkansas, either through the development of a Concession Agreement or Historic Lease,” the Forest Service said in a news release and on its website. “This Request for Expressions of Interest invites submission of concepts that would explore the development potential of the Lake Wedington Recreation Area on the Boston Mountain Ranger District of the Ozark-St. Francis National Forests. The Forest Service seeks proposals from individuals, governmental, quasi-governmental agencies, non-profit or for-profit organizations, and educational institutions.”

The Forest Service scheduled two site visits — in July and August 2023 — as part of the process of getting the expressions of interest and extended the original deadline for submission to the end of October 2023.

The recreation area has been closed to the general public for camping and most other activities since October 2019, according to Amy Burt, with the Forest Service office in Russellville. The area has remained closed while the Forest Service evaluates needed repairs and improvements, including a water line to connect the area to the Washington Water Authority system, removing the area from reliance on a well, and repairing the historic cabins on the site.

“We are still closed to the public,” Burt said. “Right now, we don’t have water.”

Burt said the Forest Service is having engineering work done on a design for the water line, and once funding is available that project may begin. She said the repair work on the cabins and other facilities is ongoing, with two of the cabins getting new roofs last year while others remain to be scheduled.

FEDERAL FUNDING HELP

Olivia Tripodi, with U.S. Rep. Steve Womack’s office, said Womack worked to get funding for the Lake Wedington Recreation Area into a bill that was approved by Congress and signed by President Biden on March 9. The money is part of the 2024 fiscal year Transportation, Housing and Urban Development Appropriations Bill.

According to Tripodi, the bill included Community Project Funding, formerly called earmarks, for the Lake Wedington Recreation Area to OzarkSt. Francis National Forests. The project will receive $4.7 million to address the outdated conditions of the water and wastewater systems of the recreation area. By completing this project, the Forest Service can ensure visitors to the recreation area have access to potable water, and wastewater systems would meet environmental standards and be ready for use.

“Lake Wedington has always been a jewel for outdoor recreational opportunities in Northwest Arkansas,” Womack said in a statement emailed in response to questions submitted to his office. “However, since 2019, the lack of reliable infrastructure has hindered the Recreation Center from realizing its full potential. This $4,700,000 appropriation will help put Lake Wedington back on the map for recreational activities in Northwest Arkansas, adding to the outdoor enjoyment for visitors from the area and beyond.”

FRIENDS OF LAKE WEDINGTON

Ann Sugg helped form the Friends of Lake Wedington group in the 1980s. Sugg said her father was manager of the project that built the lake and the recreation area in the 1930s and she grew up with it as part of her life. The group formed to help repair the cabins and remained active in supporting the area.

Sugg, now 93, recalls the work done over the years and said more needs to be done to maintain the area as a community resource.

“I think the potential is there,” Sugg said. “It serves a purpose in our community and provides a valuable resource. Lake Wedington gives people a more personal experience in outdoor recreation. Beaver Lake is much larger and more spread out.”

Sugg said she understands the recreation area is a secondary focus for the Forest Service and agrees a partnership would be useful.

“The Forest Service isn’t generally interested in recreation,” she said. “They’re more interested in preserving the forests.”

Audre Darling, president of the Friends of Lake Wedington, said the group submitted a proposal to the Forest Service last year with the idea of a 30-year lease with a partnership that would include a for-profit entity to handle the day-to-day operation of many of the facilities, including cabin and boat rentals, and a foundation to raise money for larger maintenance and improvements.

Darling said the recreation area can also serve as a community center for education and natural preservation. She said the Master Naturalist group and other volunteers have worked to establish and maintain native planting in the area and work could be done on the hiking and biking trails to turn those into educational opportunities as well as outdoor recreation options. She said many people have used the area for camping, fishing and boating and those activities should continue as well.

“The Friends of Lake Wedington are excited about the opportunity and willing to do anything we can,” Darling said. “We’re ready to get organized and support the Forest Service.”

A CYCLING DESTINATION

Bruce Dunn is with All Sports Productions, which produces events for the growing Northwest Arkansas biking community and has staged events like the Ozark Valley Triathlon at the Lake Wedington Recreation Area for more than 20 years. His group has also done the Chinkapin Hollow Gravel Grinder cycling event at the area for the past few years, with the Forest Service allowing the events to continue even though the area is closed for other types of activities.

Dunn said the triathlon, a two-day event, has drawn more than 500 participants from as many as 13 states and the Gravel Grinder has seen up to 250 participants from 11 states. He said the Lake Wedington Recreation Area and other trails in the area are an excellent part of the local cycling network.

“There’s so much you can do there,” Dunn said. “It’s a super clean lake; it’s spring fed. It just needs someone to take care of things.”

Dunn said he has suggested the Forest Service could work in partnership with the Arkansas State Parks system in a manner similar to what they have done in the Devil’s Den and Lake Sylvia areas to keep the Lake Wedington area open and operating.

“It’s a great location for the events we do,” he said.