Kanopolis State Park Manager Jason Sunderland has always had big plans for the state park. As a steward of more than 15,000 acres of prime public land, Sunderland has stayed the course, improving the facilities to keep visitors coming back year after year.

“We’ve done a lot of work on the infrastructure,” he said.“We’ve also worked on getting the native grasses growing to provide better lake views. We’ve worked, trying to get it looking much better. Eventually, we want to improve the campgrounds, adding more 50-amp (RV hook-ups) and adding water at campsites ... we also want to do more upkeep on the trails.”

The weather has proven to be less than good-natured this year. While the winter months weren’t too hard on the park, Sunderland said moisture from frequent snows and previous flooding kept the ground mushy this spring, preventing clean-up efforts until April. Then came the torrential rains, raising lake levels and closing several parks across the state.

Several improvements were made during the off-season, including upgrades to cabins and facilities frequently used by park visitors. A new roof was installed on the beach shelter house, a popular summer venue for family reunions, large gatherings and even live bands. Sunderland said he also plans to add a fresh coat of paint to the entire building this summer.

New showers and flooring were installed in three of the park’s six cabins. A new countertop is also planned in one of the updated cabins.

“We’re always trying to remodel a couple of the cabins each year, but we’ve been so busy in the past few years that we’re trying to remodel at least one a year,” he said.

New paint was applied to the interiors of the Rockin’ K shower building and the park’s beach shower building. Other improvements included the addition of new horse corrals at the Rockin’ K Campground and the installation of a children’s playground at the Eagle Point Campground.

But with all of the new improvements, including new fire rings at park campsites and a life-jacket loan station at the south shore boat ramp, few of those could be enjoyed this year.

In mid-June, officials announced they were closing Kanopolis State Park through early July, but determining when to reopen remained touch and go.

While several state parks are open, only portions of Kanopolis are accessible to the public. As of early this month, the Horsethief area trails remained closed because of high water and debris. Sandplum and Sandy Shore primitive campgrounds were also closed. While the Langley Point Boat Ramp was open, boaters were warned to launch at their own risk. Officials also said the slide-in courtesy dock was in and functional, but the floating courtesy dock could not be used.

At nearby Wilson State Park, officials announced more than a week ago the park and a number of its facilities were open. Still, there were other areas remaining closed, including Goldenrod and Otoe boat ramps; Hell Creek; the Lower Switchgrass primitive camping area; swim beach and kids’ pond; sites 8-16 in Big Bluestem (E/W); and the birdy loop of Switchgrass mountain bike trail, which is under water, as is a portion of the marina loop.

With the majority of the park’s peak season spent closed, state parks officials have already noticed the effects.

Earlier this summer, Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism (KDWPT) reported more than half of its state parks seriously affected by the flooding.

Parks officials said that a quarter to half of the annual state park revenue comes from visitors to state parks and lakes over Memorial Day weekend, which they described as a “wash out.” And the Fourth of July wasn’t much better.

KDWPT relies solely on park entrance fees, campsite and cabin rental fees and marina concessions to fund state parks operation, maintenance and repairs. The sale of hunting, fishing and fur harvesting licenses cannot be used for state parks. In 2018, about 6.9 million people visited state parks, and the park fee fund and cabin rental fund together brought more than $10.5 million in revenue.

As of June 15, officials said the park fee fund for just the months of April – May was down about $100,000 compared to 2018 because of lost entrance and campsite fees. Income from cabin rentals was off by $30,000, not including refunds.

Besides losing income, state parks officials said the parks must be repaired, which could be expensive. At Kanopolis, many trailers had to be moved to higher ground. And at many others, sand will need brought in to restore beaches. Other expected repairs include boat ramp areas, limb removal and park road repairs.