The recreation areas at the three Lock & Dam facilities in Bladen County have finally reopened to the public; however, work at the three locations is not complete. The three facilities reopened last Friday after being closed for more than a year.

Dan Keir, park manager for the Wilmington District of the Corps of Engineers, said work at the three facilities had not been completed; however, the Corps had taken "beneficial control" of the facilities from the contractor effective August 22 and reopened the facilities to the public.

The contract to renovate the three facilities was let in July 2002, Keir said, with the provision that the work be completed in six months. However, the contractor had not met the completion window and a considerable amount of the work required in the contract had not been completed.

Keir said non-completion of the project in a timely manner had been an embarrassment to the Corps of Engineers.

"We're out there to provide for the public need, and to disenfranchise the public is a concern and somewhat of an embarrassment that we've not been able to get the work performed in a satisfactory manner," Keir said.

"But once a contract is signed, we can't make things happen faster than the legal limits of the contract," Keir explained. "We have now suspended the contract and are seeking another contractor to complete the work."

Though some of the work required in the contract has been completed, the boat ramps at all three locations have not been renovated and the park areas have not been paved, Keir said.

"We've elected to open all facilities except the boat ramp at Lock & Dam number two," said Keir. "We're working as quickly as possible to secure a contractor to construct the boat ramp at Elizabethtown (Lock & Dam 2) and get it reopened to the public.

"We're regret any inconvenience the extended closure has brought to the communities," he added.

Keir said that the boat ramps at Lock and Dam #1 in East Arcadia, and Lock & Dam #3 near Tobermory will be renovated as soon as the one at Lock & Dam #2 is completed. However, the old ramps will remain open at those two locations until work begins.

Paving of the three recreation areas will also be accomplished as a part of the project.

Keir said that the facilities are now open 24 hours per day except during periods of high water when the ramps cannot be used.

The recreation areas at the three locations have been in use since the first lock and dam was completed in 1923. They have long been favorite recreational sites for area residents and visitors to the area.

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