In May of 2017, Lake Wappapello was affected by what was the second major flood to take place in the past six years. Many of their campgrounds, parks, and roadways were under large amounts of water that caused damage to the recreational location. Now, three months later, the Corps of Engineers has made excessive headway in repairs and progress to restoring the area to the way it once was.
One of the most affected area at the Lake was the Old Greenville Campground a favorite of locals and tourists. As cleanup continues at this location, improvements are also beings made to better the historical site.
"For the most part we are recovered and cleaned up from the flood, however Greenville is still getting an extensive makeover," stated Corps Engineer Employee Jennifer Morse. "We have a timeline on the day use area; it will be open for Old Greenville days however we hope to have it open before then."
Although Greenville is still unsafe for the public, Corps employees have been working on cleaning up tree damage, repairing sidewalks, and also cleaning up area facilities. Upon reopening of the campground, the public can expect to see new electric posts in the day use area as well as in the campground itself. They can also plan to see other improvements in the campground area itself such as every site having running water, sewer, and 50 amp electric hookups. Each site will also be updated to have a 12-foot wide pad, which will be 2 feet wider than the current ones. Parking spots as well as road ways are also being widened.
"Amazingly enough, the tree that Mr. Mike Clippard carved the face into is still standing and overall the historical cemetery had little damage," stated Morse. "We did have some damage to some of the historical area such as in the foundations of the buildings that once were and also to memory lane. We do not have a timeframe on this cleanup and repair work as this will take longer due to it being the historical area. The bike trail however is set to be open for use by the fall and I am excited about this. The new overlook that is attached to the Ozark Trail is just beautiful. I highly encourage people to come out enjoy this once we officially reopen it for public use."
As the Corps of Engineers continues to repair the recreational area, they are also continuing to plan recreational activities for the fall. The well known Old Greenville Days festival is still planned for being held the weekend of Sept. 16-17 and this will be the 26th festival held at the Old Greenville Campground. The only downfall is there will be no public camping allowed on site, however the public is highly encouraged to still come out and enjoy the day. For those who have their mind set on camping they can find campsites at Holliday Landing and Sam A Baker Park as well as other camping options that are relatively close to the festival. The Corps of Engineers is hopeful that the Living History Actors will be able to set up camp; however they do not expect it to be as extensive as it has been in previous years.
New to this year's festival however is the Glow Walk/Run event. The Corp of Engineers have partnered with The SEMO Regional Water Safety Council to host this event on the new bike trail as a fundraiser for The SEMO Regional Water Safety Council. It is set to be held on the Saturday night of the festival as of now however more information will be released at a later date. "One of the other new additions that we are working on that the public will see coming out of this flood is a wildflower area," stated Morse. "We are excited to see the benefits of this ecologically and recreationally. This is something that will take a little more time as once we get the flowers planted it will take time for them to come up. "
The public will continue to see more additions to the Lake Wappapello area in the coming years as the Corp is adding new recreational entertainment. They are working on expanding many of the trail systems in the area as well as building new exhibits at the Bill Emerson Visitor Center. One of these exhibits features a water safety based play structure that is strictly geared towards younger kids. The Lake Wappapello mascot, Ranger Willie B. Safe will be featured on this play area and they are hoping to open this up in time for the 2018 summer season which also marks the mascots 20th birthday. The other exhibit will be adjacent to the Bill Emerson Visitor Center and will feature a Habitat exhibit featuring local animals and their homes.
"Also new to the funding is the updates of the Bill Emerson Visitor Center itself," stated Morse. "The multipurpose room where we host events and meetings is scheduled to receive a whole new design. The public will get to see more of a classroom setting which will be better designed for us to hold workshops. They will also see new equipment and ascetic repairs. We will start on this, this winter so it should also be finished hopefully by the 2018 summer season."
To finish out the current summer recreational season, the Corp of Engineers wants to remind the public that there are still plenty of events being hosted before and after the Old Greenville Days. The 25 mile yard sale will be hosted Labor Day weekend on Sept. 1- 4; free permits are currently being handed out so that the public can set up at the Visitor center. The WOODS event is scheduled to be held Sept. 9 and the month of September will come to a close with the rescheduled Kids Fun Day being hosted Sept. 23. October will close the major recreational season by hosting the Lawn Mower races Oct. 14 and also the Mobility Impaired Deer Hunt which will be Oct. 21-22. The public can also plan to look forward to the 25th Annual Festival of Lights Auto Tour which will take place as normal from Nov. 24 until Dec. 30.
For more questions, the public may contact the Corp of Engineers' main office at 573-222-8562 during normal business hours.