The deadline has come and gone. The exemption has not been issued.
As a result, certain areas around Council Grove Reservoir are now closed or with extremely limited access until further notice.
In a letter posted the City of Council Grove Facebook page late Thursday, Mayor Debi Schwerdtfeger updated residents on the latest revolving around the impact of a federal hiring freeze, saying an exemption request was being reviewed by Army Corps of Engineers administrators before getting forwarded to the US Department of Defense for final review. At last word, the Pentagon had not received the letter.
Schwerdtfeger says over 500 Council Grove-area residents signed the letter asking President Trump to consider lending his help to the effort.
The situation has been a concern for several weeks because the park staff positions — a full-time ranger and three seasonal workers — were all empty when the federal hiring freeze went into effect earlier this year, meaning exemptions are needed to fill those spots even though there is funding available for full staffing.
Affected areas:
*Canning Creek entire park area closed
*Santa Fe Trail boat ramp open. Rest of park area closed
*Outlet East entire park area closed
*Kanza View camping area closed with day-use open
*Neosho Park boat ramp open. Rest of park area closed
*Kit Carson Cove entire park area closed
*North Richey Cove boat ramp open. Rest of park area closed
*Richey Cove entire park area closed
While Council Grove Reservoir, more commonly known as Council Grove Lake, deals with the federal hiring freeze and the potential loss of millions of dollars for the immediate Council Grove area, Council Grove City Lake — about two miles west of Council Grove Reservoir — remains under a blue-green algae watch until further notice.
KVOE and KVOE.com will have updates on both lake situations as they develop.
Letter to Council Grove residents from Mayor Debi Schwerdtfeger
