Conservation board to add playground at Wilson Lake

BY CHUCK VANDENBERG
PCC EDITOR

FORT MADISON - Plans continue to unfold in an active Lee County Conservation District.

At Wednesday's regular meeting of the LCCD Board of Directors, County Conservation Director Nathan Unsworth gave the board a plan to build a playground on northeast side of the lake near the large shelter house and parking lot.

The new playground will be funded out of out of the Conservation board's budget.

Unsworth said some additional work may need to be done in preparing for the new equipment.

"They will actually see it from the shelter house well, and we're going to probably have to clear out some trees there to allow for an easier walk for the kids," he said.

"It will be nice to be able to sit there and see the kids playing. This is probably the better location, but I would prefer it on the hillside," said board president Liza Alton.

Unsworth said there is potential to have another small playground near the campgrounds in the future.

The conservation group already erected a new playground in Pollmiller Park earlier this year, and they are working on upgrading camping facilities at Chatfield Park near Keokuk just south of Mooar-Powdertown.

Conservation efforts have heated up in that area now that contamination efforts have been instituted to clean up the lake at Chatfield with septic systems at neighboring homes.

The LCCD is also investigating the possibility of adding a pond to the Wilson Lake northwest of the current lake between the park and Hinterland Dairy. The board is looking at that as an additional fishing spot with Wilson Lake because the lake has some natural hurdles to being a productive fishing habitat.

That pond could be anywhere from one to three acres in size.

Unsworth said he hopes to get funding for the pond through state grants either this year or next, but would consider other alternatives if grant funding isn't secured.