There may seem to be a lot more activity at Marr Park right now than you would expect for the middle of November. That’s because the Washington County Conservation Board is finishing up several projects around the park, while also keeping it open for any prospective campers. According to Conservation Director Steve Anderson, the handicapped camping pad has been poured and is ready to have tables and grills installed. However, they’re waiting to do the installation until spring so the equipment isn’t sitting outside all winter. Additionally, the cold storage building, which can be seen from Highway 92, is in the final stages of construction. Anderson says it will be completed as early as this week.

As the projects near completion, park staff is also preparing the campgrounds for winter. Anderson says the park will remain open to campers throughout the winter, though they won’t be able to use the water. The outdoor water to the campsites was shut off last week, and this week they shut off the water to the shower facilities. Anderson adds, “It’s amazing to me, in my entire career this is the longest that we’ve been able to go without shutting off the water. To go this long into November without having a hard freeze is amazing. And it has represented a great opportunity that many people have taken advantage of to camp later than they ever could before.” The final project the staff will work on this year is their annual education center cleaning. They’ll be cleaning the carpets and testing the lights to make sure the building continues to function well.