Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

White Oak Campground To Close

The campground at White Oak Lake State Park will close temporarily when a major renovation project begins in early August, according to Arkansas State Parks director Greg Butts.

The 366-acre state Park is located in Ouachita and Nevada counties near Bluff City.

The bid opening for this project was scheduled for July 20. Estimated to cost approximately $487,942, the renovation will be funded by Amendment 75, Arkansas's 1/8 cent conservation tax passed by voters in November 1996. The design consultant for the project is NRS Consulting Engineers of Texarkana, Arkansas.

The campground is scheduled to re-open in mid-February after all construction activities are completed.

White Oak Lake is one of the 52 state parks managed by the State Parks Division, Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism.

Many facilities at White Oak Lake State Park will not be affected by the construction activities and will remain open to the public. These include the park visitor center, group pavilion, boat dock, launch ramp, fishing pier and hiking trails.

The improvements at White Oak Lake will include refurbishment of the park campground, including the conservation of the existing roadway to a one-way, single access road that loops through the camping area; replacement of campsite furnishings including all picnic tables, fire rings, pedestal grills and lantern hangers; site hardening; construction of spare vehicle parking spaces on selected sites; the conversion of two campsites to meet Americans with Disabilities Act requirements; tent site improvements; water and electrical system improvements; dump station improvements; the thinning of selected trees in the area; and the leveling and complete repaving of the campsite spurs.

The project will allow White Oak Lake's campground to better accommodate large camping vehicles. In addition, it will allow for easier vehicular circulation within and around the campground.

The project will also include the paving of the park's fishing pier access road and parking area, delineation and paving of the park pavilion access and parking and other improvements.

These construction activities are in addition to Amendment 75-funded improvements totaling $145,949 already underway at White Oak Lake State Park's day-use area, and nearby Poison Spring State Park in Ouachita County, which is also managed and maintained by the staff at White Oak Lake.

The design consultant for these projects is Merlin E. Seamon and Associates of Little Rock. The contractor is HCC, Inc. of Waldron.

The current activities were initiated in late-May and will continue through late November.

Improvements currently in progress at White Oak Lake include the renovation, replacement and relocation of 14 picnic sites. Work includes the development of group and barrier-free facilities to meet American's with Disabilities Act requirements.

Parking area improvements are included in the project's scope, as well as the installation of trash receptacles throughout the day-use area.

Activities in progress at Poison Spring include the replacement of five picnic sites, including the development of one barrier-free site to meet American's with Disabilities Act requirements, the paving of 20-vehicle parking area, construction of barrier-free access to the park's exhibit kiosk, and replacement of fencing at the historic site with historically-appropriate fence.

For further information on the improvement projects at White Oak State Park or Poison Spring State Park, contact: Stan Graves, manager of the planning and development section of Arkansas State Parks, One Capitol Mall, Little Rock, AR 72201. The phone number is 501-682- 1633. Or you may contact Ron Salley, superintendent of White Oak Lake State Park, Rt 2 Box 28, Bluff City, AR 71722. Telephone 870-685-2748.