One of the wettest summers on record slowed work on the campground, but recent dry conditions are allowing work to progress at the park in rural New London, Minnesota.
One of the state’s wettest summers on record slowed progress on the reconstruction of the Lakeview Campground in Sibley State Park, but workers have been making the most of the dry conditions that now prevail.
Work remains on track for a big grand opening in May of 2025, according to Park Supervisor Jeremy Gehrke. There is daily progress to see as workers take advantage of the dry conditions and mild weather.
Work is currently focused on remodelling the interiors of the campground’s historic buildings. They were originally constructed by the Veterans Conservation Corps in the late 1930s. All of the roofs on the buildings have been redone, and much of the tuckpointing work is completed.
The heavy rains this summer delayed earth-moving work needed for the project, and made it necessary to change some of the landscaping plans.
“Water was running not necessarily where we thought it would run,” Gehrke told the West Central Tribune.
In that respect, the rains also proved to be something of a blessing in disguise, according to Gehrke. Fill was placed in some of the wet areas and other landscaping changes were undertaken to prevent water problems. Identifying these problem areas now helps prevent long-term issues and the need for corrective work down the road, he said.
The reconstruction project represents a $4.856 million investment in the rural New London park.
The reconstructed campground will hold 41 camping sites instead of the previous 71 campsites, which had included 52 electric and 19 non-electric sites. The new campsites will be larger, ranging from 1,000 square feet to 1,500 square feet, as compared to roughly 500 square feet in the original campground.
The reconstruction is designed to preserve the historic character of the park’s iconic campground while adapting it for modern needs posed by large recreational campers and vehicles. The reconstruction includes replacing all of the water and electrical infrastructure.
In spite of the campground’s closing, the park has continued to be very busy. The only noticeable difference with the campground’s closing was the nearby beach area on Lake Andrew seemed to see less activity on weekdays than in past years, said Gehrke. Come weekends, the beach was as busy as ever.
The park continues to host many campers and day-use visitors well into the season. With the exception of a few, non-electric campsites, weekend reservations for the Oak Ridge Campground are filled into what is traditionally called MEA weekend — Oct. 17-19 this year. Education Minnesota’s Minnesota Educators Academy is Oct. 17.
Legacy Funds, revenue from a voter-approved state sales tax, are providing approximately $3.9 million for the campground reconstruction. Another $935,000 is being provided by the “Get Out More” fund approved by the 2023 Legislature.
