Amid a wave of criticism, the state Department of Environmental Protection has pushed back a series of meetings about a controversial proposal to add lodges, pickleball and golf at state parks.
Eight meetings had been scheduled for Tuesday at sites throughout the state, but the department said Friday in a post on the social-media site X that new meeting dates will be announced for the week of Sept. 2.
“We want to ensure everyone has the opportunity to participate,” the department said. The post said the agency was looking for new venues to accommodate the public.
The proposal, dubbed the “Great Outdoors Initiative,” has drawn opposition from Republican and Democratic lawmakers and environmental groups.
The proposed changes, which would affect nine parks, include lodges of up to 350 rooms, pickleball courts, disc golf courses and golf courses.
The initiative proposes a lodge of up to 350 rooms, along with four pickleball courts and a disc golf course at Topsail Hill Preserve State Park in Walton County.
Plans for Camp Helen State Park in Bay County and Grayton Beach State Park in Walton County each include the addition of 10 cabins. Camp Helen State Park could also get a “glamping” area. Glamping is essentially a combination of the words glamorous and camping.
The initiative also proposes:
The 2024 Wyoming High School Golf State Championships are on Friday and Saturday in Afton, Rawlins, and Sheridan. WyoPreps visited with the three hosting head c
Members of the Municipal Building Committee view the renovation and reconstruction options for the Westborough Golf Club on Thursday, Sept. 12. (Photo/Maureen