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St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Lee Enterprises

Friday, February 15, 2008 4:07 PM CST
Corps cut number of campsites, services at Lake Shelbyville

By SHARON MOSLEY, For the JG/T-C

SHELBYVILLE — Area lakes managed by the Army Corps of Engineers will have reduced services this summer due to cuts in the federal budget.

The Army Corps of Engineers announced the restrictions Wednesday. Lakes include Lake Shelbyville, Carlyle Lake and Rend Lake in Illinois. The reductions include the number of campsites available and services at visitor centers, among other cuts.

“We have worked with flat to slightly declining budget numbers for several years,” said Peggy O’Bryan, St. Louis operations chief. “Some items like utilities and fuels have doubled and tripled through this period.”

At Lake Shelbyville, 92 percent of the campgrounds will be open until the July 4 weekend, 85 percent until after Labor Day and 75 percent until the end of the season.

Other cutbacks will include less frequent mowing and trash removal, facilities cleaning and using volunteer labor when possible.

The Army Corps of Engineers is already not hiring to fill all vacancies, and not as many temporary summer employees will be hired this year.

“This will result in fewer education and water safety programs and less frequent visibility of patrolling park rangers,” O’Bryan said.

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mdongu wrote on Feb 15, 2008 10:32 AM:

" These cuts may not seem like much, but they have a real impact on the area, not just Shelbyville. Beyond that, they show how the Corps gives lowest priority to such operations, as they are indeed the first things cut when funding is reduced.

Only the efforts of the Congressional delegation can restore funding for the operations cutback here. Jobs, tourist dollars and environmental factors play into the cuts. Rep Shimkus seems to have been caught asleep at the wheel on this one.

He also got his hat handed to him, along with fellow Republican Rep. Tim Johnson of Champaign on the FutureGen project.

Probably about we elected Congressmen who actually take care of Central Illinois, and pay attention to areas where federal funds being spent.

No wonder both Rep's are rated near the bottom in taking care of their districts. "

Outsider1 wrote on Feb 15, 2008 2:32 PM:

" Maybe the Corps could charge a dollar or two more per night and offset the cuts. Most of us that use the sites really appreciate the way they are kept up. Reducing maintenance is a sure way to ruin a campground quickly.
This contributes to the local economy and tourism. "