Trail of Tears State Park seeks way to reopen Boutin Lake beach

State parks authorities say they want to find a way to reopen the swimming beach at Trail of Tears State Park, which closed due to unsafe conditions in 2008, before next Memorial Day.

"We're in the process of trying to figure out a way to restore water access for the next swimming season," said Greg Combs, field operations supervisor for the Eastern Parks Division of Missouri Department of Natural Resources.

The beach will be among issues addressed at a public meeting at 2 p.m. Saturday at the Trail of Tears visitors center. People are invited to participate and raise any concerns they might have, Combs said.

Lake Boutin's swimming beach was closed until further notice last year when the water level had to be lowered more than nine feet to decrease pressure on the dam, which was damaged during rainstorms in March 2008.

Lowering the water level shifted the beach line so that the sloping grade required by state safety guidelines was gone. The lower water level meant swimmers would have to enter the water too close to where the water depth in the 30-foot-plus-deep lake takes a sudden plunge.

The Department of Natural Resources hired an engineering company to examine the dam, but its $1 million estimate to repair the erosion was not feasible in this year's budget, park officials said.

"It comes at a very difficult fiscal time for the state to respond to something with such a heavy price tag," Combs said.

In addition to the erosion caused by 2008's heavy rains, the engineering crew found pockets of air in the dam that had been there in the 50 years since its construction, former park superintendent Hershel Price said.

Those holes would need grouting work to maintain the dam's structural integrity, Price said.

"If they're going to fix it, I'd like to see them fix it right, fix it for future generations so it can operate for another 50 years," he said.

Now park officials are discussing whether they can relocate the swimming beach, moving the entry point so it's a safe distance from the drop-off, Combs said.

"We're not just sitting on our hands and saying, 'Well, we can't do anything about it because we're out of money," Combs said.

Rising gas prices and closure of the swimming area may have contributed to a 46 percent drop in visitors to the park from January through August 2008 compared to the previous year, said Denise Dowling, interpretive resource coordinator and acting natural resource manager.

Though there have been more visitors this year, parks officials have still seen a 34 percent drop for those months compared to 2007, Dowling said.

"We definitely understand that visitors enjoy that piece of the park," Combs said.

The current project to replace culverts on Moccasin Springs Road in the park and other plans will also be highlighted during Saturday's meeting.

Getting repairs and projects addressed at the park has always been a challenge, Price said.

Price said the main well system at the park has been in need of repairs for years, as has the sewer system at the shop area, but those projects have not yet been addressed.

bdicosmo@semissourian.com

388-3635