Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, May 30, 1995 TAG: 9505300020
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV1 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: PAUL DELLINGER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: PULASKI LENGTH: Medium
So does Mike McManus, who manages the 750-acre Gatewood Park about nine miles northeast of Pulaski, although he admits it can get a little lonely during the winter when there are no visitors.
McManus and his assistant, Trace Lumpkin, do more than keep an eye on a town water source. They are also in charge of an expanding array of rustic recreational opportunities which has grown around the impoundment, open to the public from late March through October.
Boats are available to rent for as little as $2 for an hour and $15 for 24 hours, usually for people who like night fishing. (They're available at night only for registered campers). Camping rates are $9 for a vehicle overnight or $6.50 for a tent.
The 42 campsites are equipped with water and electricity. Rest rooms and showers are available, as well as a playground for children and an amphitheater for group activities.
Gatewood also has 25 picnic sites.
Gatewood Park & Reservoir was created around the town water impoundment, built in 1960 and named for Andrew W. Gatewood who was Pulaski's public works director from 1937 to 1948. It is the main reservoir for the town's raw water supply.
McManus has been there for five years, three as assistant manager and the last two as manager.
The facility is surrounded by the George Washington and Jefferson National Forests. In addition to the ducks, which are shameless beggars whenever they see visitors with food, other wildlife such as deer can often be observed.
"We still have some active beavers up here," said town Parks and Recreation Director Dave Hart.
Gatewood Park has been before Pulaski Town Council recently, in discussions of whether to advertise so more people will know about its recreational opportunities and in questions of whether trash is being dumped along roadsides leading to it.
The proposed 1995-96 budget includes $200 for advertising Gatewood, the same amount as for this year and last year.
Mayor Andy Graham has said that is one item that could be cut from an increasingly tight budget. Hart said Gatewood Park is already full of visitors most weekends.
Graham and members of Town Council paid a visit to Gatewood this month to check on the dumping reports. They found the grounds clean and most visible dumping on national forest land.
The park is accessible by taking Mount Olivet Road (Virginia 710) and following the signs. Further information about it is available by calling (703) 980-2561.
by CNB