SeaYoda
Contributor
The committee met today at the spring and the preliminary drawings were revealed. Everything is still a work in progress, but the general direction has been set for things to come.
The plans call for getting rid of all existing buildings (including the pavilion and benches) and replacing them with a bathroom/changing room building and an open air education building. The bathroom would be located near where the existing main building is. The education building would be on the hill beyond the existing main building on the bathroom end (not the gate side). These would be connected by boardwalk.
The parking lot inside the gate will be paved and fork near the entrance/bathroom area. As you drive in, parking will be on the left with a boardwalk leading down to the water along that side. The boardwalk forks about 2/3 of the way down and the fork leads through the woods to an observation dock to the left of the basin (as you look from the beach toward the spring). There will be posts installed above the existing pavilion area and angling down to the water behind the right bench below the pavilion. The posts will prevent traffic from entering the beach area.
During high water times, there will be a boat ramp in use near the right bench below the pavilion. At the entrance, boaters will take a right fork and head toward the water. Just above where the existing pavilion is now, there will be a left turn-around so boaters can turn their vehicles around to back down to the launch area. They can drop their boat and then pull forward into several angled parking spaces along the road that led in. The boater could park and, upon return, back down to the ramp to trailer the boat and then drive straight out. The ramp will only be 25 feet past the end of the right bench. At low water it can't be used.
The boaters will use another ramp during low water times. The dirt road, just before you turn off to drive into the spring, leads to the other boat launch. The problem is that the road crosses private property. The plans call for filling a ravine to make a road on the State property. At high water this ramp can not be used.
One of the residents of the area brought up the fact that there was a tree removed from the left side of the basin about 14 years ago. When that was done, sand filled in toward the basin. There has been a drop in flow of the spring through the years and he attributed this to the sand. A permit to dig out some of the sand is being sought. There will be no dredging and the spring area will not be touched. I think this will probably not increase the flow, it has probably dropped due to pressure on the aquifer more than the sand accumulation. The new hole will make it deeper to swim in that area and the sand will be used up in the beach area so all will not be a loss. It would be nice if it helped keep the spring clear as an added bonus.
I asked what plans were being made for admission fees and I was told that there are no plans to charge a fee like other parks. They have not yet gotten estimates on the proposed improvements so I figure things might still change.
I mentioned gear up tables and there was not much of a response. This may be an area that we can help with down the line after they get things going. They will be plumbing outside showers at the bathrooms and hose stations along the boardwalk in the parking area to help with gear rinsing.
All in all it seems like a good plan. They do seem to have their minds set with only slight input being allowed. I'm just glad to be able to know what they're doing and that it is not some terrible mess.
Attached are some topside pics from today - the water was still brown and up pretty far. I brought my gear but the water was higher than the last time Gulf-Gulper and I went and it was pretty dirty then. Diving solo in muck is not my idea of a good time
.
The plans call for getting rid of all existing buildings (including the pavilion and benches) and replacing them with a bathroom/changing room building and an open air education building. The bathroom would be located near where the existing main building is. The education building would be on the hill beyond the existing main building on the bathroom end (not the gate side). These would be connected by boardwalk.
The parking lot inside the gate will be paved and fork near the entrance/bathroom area. As you drive in, parking will be on the left with a boardwalk leading down to the water along that side. The boardwalk forks about 2/3 of the way down and the fork leads through the woods to an observation dock to the left of the basin (as you look from the beach toward the spring). There will be posts installed above the existing pavilion area and angling down to the water behind the right bench below the pavilion. The posts will prevent traffic from entering the beach area.
During high water times, there will be a boat ramp in use near the right bench below the pavilion. At the entrance, boaters will take a right fork and head toward the water. Just above where the existing pavilion is now, there will be a left turn-around so boaters can turn their vehicles around to back down to the launch area. They can drop their boat and then pull forward into several angled parking spaces along the road that led in. The boater could park and, upon return, back down to the ramp to trailer the boat and then drive straight out. The ramp will only be 25 feet past the end of the right bench. At low water it can't be used.
The boaters will use another ramp during low water times. The dirt road, just before you turn off to drive into the spring, leads to the other boat launch. The problem is that the road crosses private property. The plans call for filling a ravine to make a road on the State property. At high water this ramp can not be used.
One of the residents of the area brought up the fact that there was a tree removed from the left side of the basin about 14 years ago. When that was done, sand filled in toward the basin. There has been a drop in flow of the spring through the years and he attributed this to the sand. A permit to dig out some of the sand is being sought. There will be no dredging and the spring area will not be touched. I think this will probably not increase the flow, it has probably dropped due to pressure on the aquifer more than the sand accumulation. The new hole will make it deeper to swim in that area and the sand will be used up in the beach area so all will not be a loss. It would be nice if it helped keep the spring clear as an added bonus.
I asked what plans were being made for admission fees and I was told that there are no plans to charge a fee like other parks. They have not yet gotten estimates on the proposed improvements so I figure things might still change.
I mentioned gear up tables and there was not much of a response. This may be an area that we can help with down the line after they get things going. They will be plumbing outside showers at the bathrooms and hose stations along the boardwalk in the parking area to help with gear rinsing.
All in all it seems like a good plan. They do seem to have their minds set with only slight input being allowed. I'm just glad to be able to know what they're doing and that it is not some terrible mess.
Attached are some topside pics from today - the water was still brown and up pretty far. I brought my gear but the water was higher than the last time Gulf-Gulper and I went and it was pretty dirty then. Diving solo in muck is not my idea of a good time
.
