It seems as though that some State Law Makers realize the importance of our State Parks & Historic Landmarks, while others are closing them.

Lawmakers in the State of Illinois made a 14 million dollar cut in the Illinois Department of Natural Resources Budget!! The State of Illinois will be closing 11 State Parks on November 1, 2008 & 25 Historic Landmarks on October 1, 2008.

Those parks include:

Castle Rock State Park, Oregon

Lowden State Park, Oregon

Hennepin Canal Parkway State Park, Sheffield

Illini State Park, Marseilles

Channahon Parkway State Park, Channahon

Gebhard Woods State Park, Morris

Hidden Springs State Forrest, Strasburg

Kickapoo State Park, Oakwood

Moraine View State Park, Leroy

Weldon Springs State Park, Clinton

Wolf Creek State Park, Windsor

Here are a few of the 25 Historic Landmarks that will be closing as of October 1, 2008

Old Cahokia Courthouse, in Cahokia

Apple River Fort, in Elizabeth

Carl Sandburg State Historic Site, in Galesburg

Bryant Cottage, in Bement

Jubilee College, in Peoria County

Bishop Hill, Henry County

Fort Kaskaskia, Randolph County

Hauberg Indian Museum

Vandalia Statehouse, in Vandalia

Lincoln Log Cabin, in Charleston (February 12, 2009 is the bicentennial of President Lincoln’s Birth)

Other cuts from Illinois will include 179 positions at the Department of Children and Family Services and 73 at the Department of Human Services.

Thanks Governor Blagojevich!!!

- – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – -

Governor Joe Manchin III of West Virginia announced a 7.48 million dollar expansion to begin September 15, 2008 at Twin Falls State Park.

PRESS RELEASE

West Virginia Division of Natural Resources

Twin Falls State Park Lodge $7.48 Million Expansion Begins Sept. 15

Here we grow again!

Guests of the lodge at Twin Falls Resort State Park will soon be able to enjoy expanded and improved facilities, according to Park Supt. Scott Durham. Beginning September 15, work will begin on the expansion of the 20-room lodge to more than double the capacity, with many other improvements also in the plan. This $7.48 million expansion is expected to be completed within one year and should result in a great economic benefit for both the park and the surrounding area in Wyoming County.

“Park staff is very appreciative of the efforts of the Manchin Administration and legislative leadership, including local lawmakers, in bringing about this very exciting project,” said Supt. Durham.

Twin Falls Resort State Park opened its doors to the public in 1970, the result of an economic development effort to provide jobs and create one of southern West Virginia’s best vacation and recreation areas. The park included the lodge, vacation cabins, golf course, pro shop, campground area, picnic grounds, playground, restaurants, swimming pool, and other infrastructure.

In the 1980s, Twin Falls expanded the 9-hole golf course into an 18-hole layout, added water infrastructure improvements, installed cable, electrified the campground, and expanded the conference room facilities. Thirty-eight years since the initial opening, Twin Falls is growing again.

During the next year, the 20-room lodge will be expanded to 48 rooms. The lobby and front desk area is being modified, and the conference room will be expanded. An indoor pool, hot tub, and fitness area are included for guest use.

“Business guests and vacationers alike will appreciate the upgrades and forgive the challenge of construction. New guests to the park will enjoy upscale accommodations and amenities. Patrons will applaud the change.  A year is a short timeframe to accomplish this much change but we are already thinking about the grand opening,” said Supt. Durham. “We’re going to stay open during the expansion. It may get messy and noisy at times, but we’ve notified our past guests, we’ll post progress information on the Web, and everyone is excited about the project.”

“The loop drive in front of the lodge will be closed and parking will be farther away from the lodge while we make improvements,” Durham explained. “Our Azalea Room, the largest meeting room and banquet room, will be closed as the roof comes off to improve this space. The 20 existing lodge rooms and the restaurant will remain open for business during construction. The cabins, campground, golf course and hiking trails should have little or no disruption during the lodge expansion.”

Twin Falls Resort State Park is located in Wyoming County near Mullens and Saulsville on Route 97. The park is open year-round and caters to corporate retreats, golf opportunities and reunions.  Twin Falls is a business travel destination in southern West Virginia. For more information about Twin Falls Resort, updates regarding expansion, park events and activities, call (304) 294-4000 or online at www.twinfallsresort.com.

Additional Expansion Information

Swope Construction of Bluefield, W.Va., is the contractor for the Twin Falls lodge expansion. The construction cost is $7,068,000. This is made up of a $3 million W.Va. Economic Development Infrastructure Grant plus $4.48 million in W.Va. Lottery funding. The project will begin Sept. 15 and is projected for completion by Sept. 16, 2009.  There will be 28 additional rooms built. The project includes an elevator, accessibility needs, expanded parking to more than 100 spaces, hot tub, hotel guest indoor pool, small fitness room, new lobby and gift shop. The existing lodge is 14,200 square feet, and the expansion project will increase the total square footage to 27,580, according to Brad Leslie, Chief Engineer for the W.Va. State Park system.  A new courtyard will replace the existing lodge yard and driveway loop. The lodge complex will be a smoke-free facility upon completion.

**DNR**

Hoy Murphy, Public Information Officer (304) 558-2003 ext. 365 hoy.r.murphy@wv.gov

Contact: Scott Durham, Supt., Twin Falls State Park (304) 294-6000 scottdurham@wvdnr.gov

Contact: Blair Taylor, Lodge Park Administrator (304) 558-2764 blairtaylor@wvdnr.gov

- – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – -

My Governor Rating

Governor Joe Manchin III of West Virginia

Governor Blagojevich of Illinois

Related Posts