Park will close for work on entrance

Wildwood Park will close for three days in June as crews work to complete its new entrance.

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The public will be shut out of the park from June 15-17 as crews tear up the road to replace a pipe with one that meets federal guidelines.

The pipe runs through a stream, so its interior must contain a livable habitat for fish or other species that might venture in.

"That's just the fed guidelines," said Jeb Bell, the park's program coordinator. "If there's any fish in there, I've never seen them myself."

Bell said the work is the second phase of the new entrance. Trees in the area already have been cleared.

The new entrance, which Bell said should be completed by late summer, will be 30 yards closer to Keg Creek.

It will feature three lanes: an entry lane, an exit lane toward Lincoln County and a left-hand turn lane for traffic headed back toward Evans.

Bell said the entrance also will feature a deceleration lane and eventually a gatehouse. He said the setup would be safer than the current entrance and better equipped to handle the increased traffic from large fishing tournaments and holiday weekends.

"They'll have more room to maneuver those big vehicles and boats and all that when they come into the park," Bell said. "It's going to be a big help."

Wildwood Park has drawn high-level fishing tournaments and will play host to a drag boat event in June. On Saturday, the Tommy Shaw Memorial fishing tournament will take place at the park.

No activities will be interrupted by the brief closing, other than for the normal daily boaters and picnickers, Bell said.

"We expect to lose that," he said. "But we're doing this to better serve the county and better serve our patrons."