City of London Tourism Board workers are making steady progress on a long list of much-needed improvements to Levi Jackson Wilderness Road Park.
Visitors to the park this spring and summer will immediately notice some of the changes at Levi Jackson, while other improvements are behind the scenes to improve critical park infrastructure.
“We need to replace some infrastructure before we can move forward,” said Stephen Holt, the park’s business manager.
Upgrades completed or underway at Levi Jackson include:
•Over $133,000 in repairs and improvements to the public swimming pool.
• Major drainage works at the lower end of the campground, along with improved campsites and a refitted cleaning station for the RV holding tanks.
•Construction of two new guest houses and a bathroom to replace a shelter facing the museum in poor condition. The tourism commission reviewed the concept designs for the guest houses on Wednesday.
• Updates and improvements to the current reservation system. A campground committee is studying the new system and should have a recommendation shortly.
•Upgraded and expanded trail system, aided by a $51,200 grant from the state-administered Recreational Trails Program.
• A new roof on the pavilion and the repair of water and mold damage inside, which will then be repainted. “We want to make this building look great again,” Holt said.
•Major renovation of an old rental house in the park which was damaged by fire. Instead of renting it out by the month, the tourism commission renovated the house and will turn it into an Airbnb called Ranger’s Retreat.
•Removal of several trees that posed safety hazards. A few of these are at Treetop Adventure, which should be renovated, inspected, and hopefully open by Memorial Day.
Mackie Williams, director of the tourism and recreation department, said the commission was spending a lot of time and money to keep the Levi Jackson Pool running more efficiently. Pool leaks last year leaked 1,400 to 1,800 gallons a day, he said.
“Last year people were complaining that the pool stayed so cold and never warmed up,” he said. “That’s because they had to put about 1,800 gallons of fresh water in there every day.”
Pool upgrades include finding and fixing leaks, replacing pumps, adding an auto-fill system, painting, and other fixes.
“It’s all infrastructure, there are no frills in this pool,” Williams said. “It will be cleaned up so it looks and works better.”
Williams, who took over overseeing the park in December, said the tourism commission was making progress on a long list of improvements at Levi Jackson, which was handed over to the City of London three years ago.
“I’m comfortable with the direction we’re going,” he said. “There’s a lot to do, but there’s a great team working there. They all work hard.
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