One of four positions at Council Grove Lake previously impacted by the federal hiring freeze has been filled and a pair of campgrounds have been reopened.
According to US Army Corps of Engineers Tulsa District Deputy Operations Project Manager Gary Kepley, who declined a recorded interview with KVOE News, one of the three seasonal positions at the lake was filled as of Tuesday. Thanks to that position being filled, Kepley announced that both the Santa Fe Trail and Canning Creek campgrounds, two of the class A parks, have been reopened for the summer season.
That said, several other areas remain fully or partially closed at this time:
Outlet East – temporary closure (all park – closed)
Kanza View – temporary closure (camping – closed, day-use open)
Richey Cove – temporary closure (all park – closed)
Neosho Park – temporary closure (only boat ramp open)
Kit Carson Cove – temporary closure (all park – closed)
North Richey Cove – temporary closure (only boat ramp opened)
The next step for the Army Corps of Engineers will be filling the permanent park ranger position, an endeavor Kepley couldn’t offer a timeline for, however, he did say the process is “moving in a positive direction,” and he is hopeful that the position could be filled within the next few weeks. As for the other two seasonal positions, Kepley says once they hire individuals, it may be July before they have “boots on the ground” due to training and onboarding.
He says that would mean half of the summer season would have already passed and he is concerned that the shorter employment period may affect their candidate pool. Nonetheless, Kepley tells KVOE News he is confident they will not only fill these positions, but that they will be able to reopen all affected areas before the summer season is out; however, he can’t say exactly when that will be.
The exemption from the hiring freeze at the federal level came down in mid-May following several concerns as to the impacts that the lack of staffing, and closure of the various camp and park grounds would have on the area economy in and around Council Grove with the summer camping season traditionally bringing an estimated $9 million in revenue to the area on an annual basis. KVOE will continue to monitor the situation and provide updates as it continues to unfold.
