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Home PageMISSOURI DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES
SEEKS INPUT ON PLAN FOR JOHNSON'S SHUT-INS STATE PARK
JEFFERSON CITY, MO, AUG. 14, 2006 -- The Missouri Department of Natural Resources is seeking public input on the proposed long-term redevelopment of Johnson's Shut-Ins State Park near Lesterville. The process will include open houses Aug. 26-27 at the park and Aug. 28 in St. Louis plus online surveys.
The redevelopment of the park follows the Dec. 14 breach of the Taum Sauk Reservoir, which flooded the main area of the park and damaged most of the facilities along the East Fork of the Black River. In April, four open houses and an online survey asked the public for input on what they felt should be redeveloped at the park. Based on that input, a redevelopment plan was developed and will be presented to the public at the open houses.
Open houses will be held from noon to 4 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 26 and Sunday, Aug. 27 at Johnson's Shut-Ins State Park. Plans will be posted at the park store through Sunday, Sept. 10. Another open house will be held from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. Monday, Aug. 28 at the St. Louis County Library, Oak Bend Branch, 842 S. Holmes Ave. in St. Louis. During the open houses, staff will be available to answer questions and discuss the proposal. The plan also will be available online at www.mostateparks.com/jshutins/recovery.htm from Aug. 28 through Sept. 10.
The park is currently open for visitors from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. seven days a week through Sunday, Oct. 1. The park will close on Monday, Oct. 2 so redevelopment can begin. The Department of Natural Resources anticipates that Johnson's Shut-Ins State Park will be fully operational in 2008. AmerenUE, which is responsible for the construction, believes it can accelerate the redevelopment to allow public access to the shut-ins and the park's portion of the East Fork of the Black River sometime in 2007. The timeframe for redevelopment depends on several factors, including the details of the final plan, weather and how quickly AmerenUE's contractor can make it happen.
Johnson's Shut-Ins State Park is located eight miles north of Lesterville on Highway N in Reynolds County. For more information about the park or the plan, call the park directly at 573-546-2450 or the Department of Natural Resources toll free at 800-334-6946 (voice) or 800-379-2419 (Telecommunications Device for the Deaf) or visit www.mostateparks.com.
