The US Army Corps of Engineers is currently navigating through a pair of processes to combat the impacts of a federal hiring freeze that could lead to the closure of several properties shortly.
Tuesday, the Council Grove Marina had posted via its official Facebook page that Council Grove Lake could potentially be closing as soon as May 15 due to a lack of staffing as a result of the federal hiring freeze. Speaking with KVOE News Wednesday afternoon, US Army Corps of Engineers Tulsa District Deputy Operations Project Manager Gary Kepley stated he could not confirm that timeline at the moment as an operations plan, outlining how summer recreational operations will continue due to the impacts of the hiring freeze, is currently going through an official review process.
That said, Kepley did tell KVOE News that Council Grove Lake traditionally has four staff members, one permanent park ranger and three seasonal staffers, who oversee operations during the summer recreation season. All four of those positions are currently vacant and cannot be filled due to the hiring freeze.
Kepley also stated the lake has several campgrounds and parks that traditionally open April 1 the majority of which did so. Overseeing those operations at this time are permanent staff from Marion Lake and John Redmond Reservoir who are rotating between the three “projects.”
That will not be a viable solution, however, once the summer season fully ramps up by mid-May, as Kepley says April and early May are a “shoulder season” that sees far less traffic. Once mid-May rolls around he says all “projects” are typically at or near capacity and rotating staff amongst the three locations would cause all sites to suffer.
With this in mind, Kepley says the Tulsa District has submitted a request for an exemption from the hiring freeze, however, the status of said request is not known at this time. The aforementioned post from the Council Grove Marina also stated that recreational activity brings in significant revenues for Council Grove each year, just under $9 million to be exact.
Kepley confirmed these figures to KVOE News on Wednesday, adding that those dollars are spread out across a 30-mile radius around the lake, with the activity also supporting roughly 60 jobs in the same area.
Prior to KVOE News’ conversation with Kepley, the US Army Corps of Engineers Kansas City District says it will close or reduce services at its recreation areas across Kansas, Iowa, Missouri and Nebraska on a temporary basis starting May 15. The Corps says it is “managing seasonal staffing and resource limitations that affect its ability to safely open and maintain all recreation sites at normal levels of service.” This will impact all 18 lakes in the Kansas City District, including Melvern Lake.
Again, Kepley couldn’t speak to the exact impacts that may befall sites under the Tulsa District’s control, however, he stated that he expects the impacts outlined by the Kansas City District will be similar for not only other US Army Corps locations but also other operations as well.
This is a developing story and KVOE, KVOE.com and KVOE social media will continue to bring you more updates as they develop.
6:30 am Wednesday: Army Corps of Engineers announces temporary closures, service reductions at recreation areas including Melvern Lake
As the Council Grove Lake Marina staff implore federal lawmakers to take action to avert a possible closure of the lake by May 15, the US Army Corps of Engineers Kansas City District says it will close or reduce services at its recreation areas across Kansas, Iowa, Missouri and Nebraska on a temporary basis starting May 15.
The Corps says it is “managing seasonal staffing and resource limitations that affect its ability to safely open and maintain all recreation sites at normal levels of service.” This will impact all 18 lakes in the Kansas City District, including Melvern Lake.
The Army Corps of Engineers says visitors should call ahead to confirm the status of their desired recreation site before they travel and make adjustments if needed.
The Army Corps of Engineers Tulsa District operates Council Grove Lake, John Redmond Reservoir and Fall River. It has not put out a statement in a similar vein as the Kansas City District.
Council Grove Lake Marina’s Facebook page says a “staffing crisis” could well shut down the lake next month despite funding available to hire and pay people for the different operations duties needed for the lake.
