Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, May 9, 1993 TAG: 9305110505
SECTION: DISCOVER PAGE: 2 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: PAUL DELLINGER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: DUBLIN LENGTH: Medium
The beach along the lake has been renovated, he said. It is more than twice as large as it was.
"We've put over 5,000 tons of sand on the beach," he said. "We made it wider, put in new benches and new trees."
Part of the work was done last summer, but this coming summer it will be complete. The diving tower is scheduled to be replaced this fall for next summer.
The beach will open the weekend before Memorial Day.
A new gift shop will be open this summer, complete with snack bar.
Johnson said crafts people are being contacted to sell their wares through the new shop.
"We've found there's a lot of interest in doing that," he said.
Horseback riding, hiking and picnicking facilities are available, as is playground equipment put up by park personnel. Campgrounds opened at the end of April.
"What it amounts to is, there is no off-season anymore," he said.
The combination of recreational uses usually draws 450,000 to 500,000 visitors a year, although that number dropped to about 420,000 last year due to rain.
Claytor Lake still ranks second in visitor use among state parks, behind Seashore State Park at Virginia Beach, which has more than a million visitors a year.
The park's 12 cabins are slated for renovation, including heat and air conditioning, so they can be rented during more of the year.
"Of course it had been a dream for years," he said, but passage of the state parks bond issue is finally allowing it to be done.
Three cabins at a time will be closed for the work to be done through the summer. Siding will be put on the present cinder-block exterior.
Cabin 7 has been modified to handicapped standards, with everything in it now wheelchair-accessible. The conversion was carried out as a pilot project, which, if it worked well, would be done at cabins in other state parks.
"We haven't experienced any problem at all," Johnson said.
It was done when Mary Kitts, a member of a family coming to the park for years, started using a wheelchair and asked if there was any way someone in awheelchair still could use park cabins.
"So we took a look at it and called the Department of Rehabilitative Services up in Roanoke," Johnson said. "The modifications weren't all that major that we had to do."
The money from park rents and fees goes into a maintenance fund separate from capital outlay money made available by the General Assembly, Johnson said.
"People who come in and pay their fee, they get to see the benefits."
That fund was used recently to replace three docks, with plans to replace another this year. Another goal is to dredge a channel in the lake and extend the boat ramps.
Eight buildings will have roofs replaced this year. The interior of the campground bathrooms will be renovated. Erosion-prevention measures will be taken along the lake.
All the water lines in the park have been replaced in a three-year program. The next step is to hook onto the county water system.
The next bond-issue project will be to upgrade the power and put the lines underground. The Howe House, which now houses park headquarters, will be upgraded and filled with more exhibits to become exclusively a visitors' center. A new headquarters building will be put near the entrance.
\ CLAYTOR LAKE STATE PARK FEES\ \ Parking: $1 per car until Memorial Day weekend, $2 per car until after Labor Day.\ \ Beach use: $1.75 for adults, $1.25 for children ages 3-12 (those up to age 3 are free). Season passes are available for frequent park users.\ \ Cabin rental: $342 a week, or $57 a night for a two-night minimum. Cabins open for the season May 17.
by CNB