(Arnolds Park)– An informational meeting will be held Thursday on plans to repair and restore shoreline at Pillsbury Point on West Lake Okoboji. Michelle Balmer, Lake Restoration Program Coordinator for the Iowa Department of Natural Resources says it stems from the 2024 flood…
“There were 67 banks that collapsed and we need to address those. But beyond that, there are really steep shores along there, so the goal of this project is to help kind of re-grade and stabilize those slopes to help prevent future erosion that would be associated with potential future flooding events or other challenges that would cause those banks to collapse.”
She says as of now, at least, plans call for the work to get underway this fall…
“Right now the proposed timeline would be that construction would likely start around October 1st and go through next summer. You know we’re still working through the contracting phase and so that’s not set in stone, but that’s our current goal and our current timeline.”
Balmer adds there shouldn’t be any inconveniences for boaters in the Pillsbury Point area while the work is taking place…
“We are planning to use a staging area at Gull Point State Park, one is the parking lot, so parking may be a little bit limited there next summer or there might be a little bit of increased traffic with the barges that we’re planning on utilizing for this project, but overall I would just encourage boaters as always to be cautious when they’re out on the water and look out for other boats to where they shouldn’t see major disturbances to recreation.”
Balmer says the project is coming with a pretty hefty price tag…
“The funding is a mix of both Lake Restoration Funds as well as some Marine Fuel Tax Funds to help stabilize the shoreline. Right now we’re looking at about $3 million for the overall project budget.”
Thursday’s informational meeting will begin at 6:00 pm and will be held at Maser Monarch Lodge in Okoboji…
“We really want to walk through some of the design renderings that we have for what this will look like, once the project is hopefully completed as well as what they can expect next summer in terms of any impact as we discussed, to recreation.”
Balmer encourages the public to attend. She says there will also be an opportunity to give input and ask questions about the project.
