Those parks could open for limited use late this summer with the help of $200,000 in funding from a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers contingency fund.
According to Dan Thomasson, lake manager for both lakes, the funding will be split between Union Grove Park on Stillhouse and Westcliff Park on Belton.
Flooding in May 2007 damaged 21 of the parks on the two lakes. Thomasson said 18 of the parks are now open with “limited amenities.”
“Most areas still have significant damage that will have to be repaired eventually, but we’ve got safety issues taken care of, we’ve got the place cleaned up so there are no sanitation issues,” he said.
“We’ve still got thousands and thousands of trees that will have to come out,” he said.
“Basically, we made repairs to allow safe access,” he said, adding that money saved from reduced operational costs while the parks were closed has been put into repairs. He said the parks needing the most work are next on the list.
“We are progressing into some of the more heavily damaged parks as we go,” he said.
In addition to the two parks receiving funding, the third remaining closed park is Dana Peak Park on Stillhouse Hollow.
Thomasson said the parks that have been opened still have “significant damage,” and are still awaiting funding from Congress for full repairs.
“The parks are a far cry from being pre-flood condition,” he said.
The parks suffered an estimated $7 million damage - $4 million at Stillhouse Hollow and $3 million at Lake Belton - during the floods. Belton dam had about $2 million in damage, but is safe, Thomasson said.
A statement from U.S. Congressman John Carter’s office said his office is still working on securing funding for major repairs on the lakes.
