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MEDFORD MAIL TRIBUNE. MEDFORD, ORE.
SUNDAY. JOJOVtr left
Long-Term Capital Improvement Plan Seen for Park Areas
By JOE COWLEY
Mail Tribune Staff Writer
Wednesday's tour of three
recreation areas by members
of the Jackson county parks
and recreation commission
convinced them that the coun
ty must set up a long-term
capital improvement program.
The current allocation of
S12.000 by the county court
may not be enough even for
immediate projects. Tenta
tively, these may include wid
ening the present concrete
boat-launching ramp at How
ard Prairie reservoir to 40
feet, $3,200, and clearing and
disposing of snags at Hyatt
lake which would cost an es
timated $7,500.
The newly enlarged Emi
grant reservoir will be in op
eration this fall which means
possible construction of min
imum outdoor toilet facilities
and picnic units.
Possibly next summer two
additional boat ramps, a float
ing dock and wharf facility,
additional showers, a laundry
room and a permanent restau
rant and concession building
will be needed at Howard
Prairie reservoir. Emigrant
will need one, maybe two,
concrete boat launching
ramps, outdoor fireplaces and
additional parking areas in
the near future.
Future Facilities
Hyatt, which Talent Irriga
tion District Manager Walter
Hoffbuhr says will never be
drawn down more than six
vertical feet after this year,
will need further recreation
facilities.
But, to give Hyatt reservoir
its full recreation and scenic
potential of over 916 acres of
water surface, snags must be
disposed of. The lake will be
completely drained until De
cember, but winter weather
sets a deadline of Nov. 1 for
last snag removal.
Felling of all snags in Hy
att up to the 5,018 foot con
tour or to the high water
mark will cost an estimated
$1,500 to $2,000, fullers told
Hoffbuhr. Twenty eight-hour
work days will be needed to
fall, burn and pile the snags
at an overall estimated cost of
$7,500.
The TID manager figures
the snags can be pulled or
pushed above the high-water
mark. Then they can be
burned at leisure. He figures
the concessionaire and the ir
rigation district personnel can
boom up drift logs which can
be disposed of gradually over
a two-year period.
Sinker logs would not be
disturbed since they provide
natural foedine places for bass
and other fish. I
Clearing Program
This clearing program as
proposed would also affect
the scenic and recreation val
ues of 25 home sites laid out
by the bureau of land man
agement. An access road
around the lake is planned In
the near future.
The tour started at Hooper
Springs where the county, at
the suggestion of former
County Judge Rodney Keat
ing, purchased two acres from
Hugh Houck, who runs cattle
in the area. The acreage has
been cleared and a roof is
being placed on a concrete
block rcstroom building. A
bubbler type fountain will be
placed nearby and furnished
by water from the natural
spring.
A cattle watering trough
will be placed up the hill near
the park area for the cattle
and connected with the coun
ty's pipeline from the spring.
The spring, fenced off by a
wood rail fence, will be left,
and perhaps some facility con
structed so logging operators
can more easily get water for
their brakes on their downhill
haul without making a left
turn across the highway en
dangering themselves and
traffic.
May Widen Area
The temporary parking
area may be widened for mo
torists. Purpose of the newly
created park area is to allow
motorists to pull off the high
way to view the scenery with
out parking too close to the
curve and endangering them
selves and traffic. It provides
a natural picnic and rest area
for tourists on their way to
Hyatt and Howard Prairie res
ervoirs which is what Keating
had in mind when he made
the purcha.se arrangements.
Recreation committee mem
bers seemed even more im
pressed with the potentiali
ties of the Howard Prairie
area than they were this
spring before much of the de
velopment was under way.
Discuss Horses
Commission Member Mrs.
Marcel LePiniec. Applegate.
could see corrals and shelters
for privately owned horse
and horses to rent. Mrs. Ben
Day, Medford, said the Seven
Lakes recreation area had 700
horses there in one season.
Both women agreed that trails
could be marked and perhaps
connected with northern Cali
fornia trails providing limit
less country for riding.
Other tour members could .
TRASH-The big problem for those planning recreation areas
are careless picnickers or campers who leave trash piles. This
one was photographed last week on the shore of Hyatt lake
in the Talent Irrigation project. The county is gradually in
stalling trash barrels in recreation spots and hopes the public
will use them. Such a trash pile as this is the reason farmers
don't like picnics on their lands.
As he talked, fellow tour
members could already see
varied colored sails of the
slim ice craft against the
snow covered hills and silver
ice. They could see the rud
dy glows of warm-up fires on
the shores and skaters gliding
over the ice in their brightly
colored winter caps, jackets
or sweaters.
Used For Skating
The lake was used for Ice-
skating by many people last
winter and the surrounding
nuis tor sieadlng or toboggan
ing. Howard Prairie reservoir in
the Talent project is already
assuming the proportions of a
year-around recreation area.
How well it fulfills the
dreams of those who saw this
possibility during Wednes
day's tour will depend on the
foresight of the county court,
the demands of Rogue valley
residents and travelers, the
planning and push of the
county parks and recreation
commission and the skill of
the concessionaire. ,
A sad footnote to this vision
ot increased public recreation
al use were two piles of picnic
refuse, tin cans and beer bot
tles, one already at Hooper
Springs area and a large pile
on the shores of Hyatt lake.
envision sailing, canoeing
swimming, water-skiing and
fishing activities on the waters
of the five-mile long lake dur
ing spring, summer and early
fall.
Present Concessionaire Rob
ert Johnston figures there will
be over 5,000 persons at the
lake at the start of next sea
son. He's already planning to
take several sailboats in next
year.
He is planning 37 trailer
house units. Twelve of these
will be installed next season.
These will be utility types
containing refrigerator, stove
and sleeping space.
Construct Rest Rooms
The county is now con
structing two toilet and show
er houses in the trailer area.
Johnston hopes to have a per
manent restaurant in the area
if he obtains the long term
lease. He has an 18 months
lease now.
The concessionaire will de
cide fall hunter facilities after
his observations this fall.
Howard Prairie is a choice
spot for geese and ducks, he
noted, deer and some bear.
The blue eyes of Rogue
River's Mayor John Leyen lit
up as he told fellow recrea
tion commission members of
possible winter carnivals.
'fP ' "'if v v?r - - i V -
COMPLETING RESTROOM-Bert Marshall, The picture was taken last week as the men
Central Point, and Jim McGowan, Medford, rushed work on the building in time to
were preparing timbers for the roof of the catch the last of the summer season tourists
rest room of concrete block at the Hooper en route to Howard Prairie reservoir.
Springs recreation area off Dead Indian rd.
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SNAGS The two snags in the foreground parks and recreation commission is consider-
seen in the background. The Jackson county ing possibilities of removing the snags by
are typical of the many which poke up from November while the lake is drained. Talent
the waters of Hyatt lake in the Talent Irri- Irrigation district officials say this lake will
gation project. A forest of snags can be seen never be this low again after December,
in the background. The Jackson county
SK
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