Grover sent me the following note.

Dear Orienteers:

As you may already know, there are plans to build a resort and conference center at Clinton Lake State Park. It is proposed that this be located on the peninsula opposite the marina (at the SE part of our O-map). Unfortunately, developers chose the only wooded part of the park that is fairly remote from camping areas. The resort would have 150 rooms, swimming pool, tennis courts, its own marina, a parking lot, and accompanying roads, water, sewage, and power lines. The developers hope to have it open as early as the year 2001.

We feel this would ruin the park as we know it and would severely limit or preclude orienteering on the peninsula. Kansas is already last among all the states in the percentage of public land set aside for recreation. An article in the Lawrence Journal World on May 12, 2000, showed that Kansas ranks next to last among states in funds approved recently by the US House of Representatives for purchase of new land for public use. We need to preserve what we already have and prevent greedy developers from taking over all remaining green space in eastern Kansas!

Fortunately, the resort is not yet a done deed! Approval is still needed from the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks and the Army Corps of Engineers, both of whom will do impact studies. Ultimately, the Kansas Legislature must give approval.

We have written letters to our regional representatives in the Kansas Legislature, to the Corps, and to the Dept. of Wildlife and Parks urging them not to approve the resort. A copy of our letter and several addresses are attached below. Note that we have avoided identification with nutty special-interest groups such as bikers and orienteers! However, someone should emphasize the value of the park for orienteering as an activity for people of all ages, including school groups. Perhaps there should be an "official" letter from Orienteer Kansas. We also urge all of you who are Kansas residents to write letters individually if you feel as we do about the resort. Carolyn and Grover Everett

Dear _______:

We are writing to express our concern about the construction of a resort and conference center at Clinton Lake State Park west of Lawrence.

Clinton state park is one of the few places in this area that the public may visit to escape the ever-increasing development in eastern Kansas. It is a popular area for family camping, hiking, bicycle riding, and fishing. We feel that the ambiance of the park would be ruined by construction of a resort.

We also question the value of a conference center located so far outside of town. People who attend conferences want ready access to a variety of quality restaurants, and their accompanying spouses want to browse unique shops such as offered by downtown Lawrence. The park would have little to offer conference attendees except for outdoor activities. Some of these, such as waterfront activities, would be limited to a few months of the year.

Aside from the question of whether a resort should be constructed in the park, the planned location of the resort on the peninsula opposite the marina is very poor choice. This peninsula is the only remaining wooded part of the park that is remote from camping areas. It is the best place in the park to go to experience solitude in an eastern Kansas woodland! If a resort must be put in the park, a much better location would be in the large field just to the south of the park entrance. This field is already used for multi-person events such as rock concerts. Public road access and the installation of water, sewage, and power lines would be much easier and less intrusive to the park in this location.

Finally, we should point out that Kansas ranks next to last among states in funds approved recently by the US House of Representatives for purchase of land for public use (Lawrence Journal World, May 12, 2000). Why not conserve what little we already have?

Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks

Clinton State Park

798 N 1415 Road

Lawrence, Kansas 66049

US Army Corps of Engineers

Clinton Lake Project

872 N 1402 Road

Lawrence, Kansas 66049

Senator Sandy Praeger

Room 128-S, State Capitol

Topeka, Kansas 66612

Senator Anthony Hensley

Room 347-N, State Capitol

Topeka, Kansas 66612

Representative Barbara Ballard

Room 272-W, State Capitol

Topeka, Kansas 66612

Representative Joann Flower

Room 426-S, State Capitol

Topeka, Kansas 66612

Representative Tom Sloan

Room 446-N, State Capitol

Topeka, Kansas 66612

Representative Ralph Tanner

Room 426-S, State Capitol

Topeka, Kansas 66612

Representative Troy Findley

Room 272-W, State Capitol

Topeka, Kansas 66612

-- Michael Eglinski (meglin@juno.com), May 22, 2000

Answers

Way back in August of 1999, there was some discussion about this project on the OK discussion pages. Take a look at:

http://www.greenspun.com/bboard/q-and-a-fetch- msg.tcl?msg_id=001JgX

-- Michael (mike_eglinski@kcmo.org), May 23, 2000.

A story in today's Journal World makes it look like the development is going to die. Apparently the developers couldn't get the city and county to kick in enough money.

http://www.ljworld.com/section/frontpage/story/63601

-- Michael (meglinski@yahoo.com), August 22, 2001.