November 14, 2023 3:45 a.m.
The Douglas County Board of Commissioners has announced that county government has been awarded a $490,000 grant from the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department.
A County release said it is through the Local Government Grant Program and will be for the Phase 1 rehabilitation of Whistler’s Bend County Park, which is located 15 miles east of Roseburg near Glide.
Commissioner Chris Boice said, “We have invested a considerable amount of money in the parks on the coast, primarily because they’re so busy and provide a return that helps support the entire parks system – which continues to provide matching dollars for state and federal grant funding for improvement projects like this”. Boice said, “Parks Director Mark Wall has done an outstanding job successfully applying for grant dollars allowing us to continue investing in our parks. The amount of work our Parks Department gets done, with such a small team, is amazing”.
The release said the grant funds will be matched by Douglas County and utilized in a two-phase renovation. Phase 1 of the rehabilitation project will cost $980,000. Phase 1 includes improvements to the day use area and portions of the upper campground, replacement of single vault restrooms with ADA accessible restrooms, and installation of a pavilion for public use and special events next to the golf course upper parking lot. Other work includes resurfacing of the lower parking lot and access roads to improve river access, and paving of the upper campground access road and group sites.
The engineering and design work for Phase 1 is being provided by local engineering firm i.e. Engineering Inc. The pavilion and restrooms planned for the park will be purchased from and installed by Romtec Inc. Request for Proposals are expected to go out for bid in January 2024 with work to begin in the spring, pending contractor availability. The construction time line for Phase 1 improvements is estimated to be about three months.
Phase II will focus on paving the upper campground, adding more full hookup sites to the upper campground and replacing three single vault toilets in the lower campground with ADA accessible ones. Other improvements will enhance the golf course with the addition of a small pavilion and a new restroom in the middle of the course, as well as furnishing the course with additional benches and garbage receptacles throughout. Phase II will be dependent on receiving additional grant funding that the Parks Department is currently pursuing.