Cape County Park lake filling up; trail delayed

An abundance of rain over the past two months has helped refill the lake in Cape County Park South, which was drained last summer as part of a cooperative project between Cape Girardeau County and the Missouri Department of Conservation.

However, the rain has also delayed work on a planned concrete walking path on the east side of the lake.

“It’s starting to dry up around the edges (of the lake) now, so hopefully we’ll start sidewalk work in the next couple of weeks,” Cape Girardeau County parks superintendent Bryan Sander said Monday.

The concrete sidewalk will extend from the parking area on the north end of the lake to the lake levee on the lake’s south side.

“It will take a few months to put the sidewalk in with the size crew we have,” Sander said. “There’s a lot of dirt work that has to be done and it’s not very easy for the concrete trucks to get in there.”

The area where a gazebo is planned to be built is seen Monday at Cape County Park South in Cape Girardeau.Jay Wolz

Sander expects the sidewalk and lighting on the east side of the lake to be completed by late summer or early fall.

“It all depends on the weather,” he said. “We’ve been waiting and waiting and waiting for dry weather and finally it looks like the storms are becoming more patchy and not as frequent, so we’re hoping for a dry spell.”

The park superintendent said it would have been easier to build a sidewalk on the west side of the lake because there is less of a slope and better access for concrete trucks. The sidewalk on that side of the lake, however, will connect with an existing pedestrian footbridge that is currently not handicapped accessible.

“We’re going to apply for a grant next year to address that situation,” Sander said.

A gazebo is planned for a jetty that will extend from the lake’s north shoreline, replacing a wooden pier Sander said would have required extensive maintenance including refinishing, painting and replacement of rotting boards.

“There’s still a ton of work that has to be done,” he said. “It’s a two-year project.”

Eventually, there will be lighted sidewalks on either side of the lake extending from a redesigned, Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant parking area between the lake and the park entrance. Sander said there will also be new landscaping to replace about a dozen Bradford pear trees damaged by high winds June 21.

In addition to tree damage, the storm also caused some minor damage to restrooms in County Park South and County Park North.

“They lost some shingles,” Sander said. “Bids will go out in a couple of weeks to get them fixed, but it’s not a big deal.”

At this point, the lake is only partially refilled.

“As it rains, it’s filling up, so the more rain we get the more it fills,” Sander said.

According to the Missouri Department of Conservation, the lake will eventually be stocked with several varieties of fish, including bass, bluegill, red ear sunfish and channel catfish.