MAY 21, 2009 ISSUE
Wildcat Lake Thrives Again
Opening Celebration This Saturday
Wildcat Lake was drained in 2005 (at bottom, photo submitted) so that significant cracks in the dam could be repaired. The restored dam has been constructed to withstand a 500-year storm. Wildcat Lake spans about 13 acres on Hickory Nut Gap Road in Banner Elk. The lake has returned to normal water levels, and a new swimming pier has been constructed (above, photo by Michelle Bailey).
After nearly four years of closure for repairs, the cool waters of Banner Elk’s Wildcat Lake will once again be open to the public beginning Saturday, May 23. The Edgar Tufts Memorial Association (ETMA), the owner and administrator of the lake, will host an opening celebration on Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
The 13-acre recreational lake is located on Hickory Nut Gap Road in Banner Elk. The ETMA drained the lake in fall 2005 to begin a $1 million project to repair major cracks and prevent catastrophic failure of the dam.
On Saturday, the Wildcat Lake opening celebration will begin with a blessing of the lake by the Rev. Joseph Washburn, pastor of Banner Elk Presbyterian Church. Following the blessing will be two ribbon cuttings—the first on the dam itself and the second on the swimming pier, after which people will be invited to ceremonially jump into the water. Hamburgers and hotdogs will be grilled and served, and attendees can enjoy Wildcat Lake and adjoining Tufts Park’s various amenities. Searching for Clarity, a contemporary Christian band, as well as selected members of the Avery High School Band will perform. Restrooms will be available.
Wildcat Lake will be open to the public from May 23 through August 16 from 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Monday through Saturday and from 12:00 to 8:00 p.m. on Sunday. After August 16, the lake will be open on weekends only through Labor Day. Everything at the lake and the park is free.
“You don’t need money if you come to Wildcat Lake,” said Jim Swinkola, spokesperson for the ETMA and CEO of the Grandfather Home for Children.
Lifeguards will be on duty to supervise swimmers. A shallow swimming area is designated for younger children, and a deeper swimming area is available for use by adolescents and adults. The lake also has a white sandy beach area.
One half of Wildcat Lake is leased by the Holston Camp, a summer camp for Presbyterian chruches in northeast Tennessee. Photo submitted
Fishers can also take advantage of the lake. In April, the Wildlife Resources Commission delivered 5,000 one- to six-inch small bluegill to the body of water, and large mouth bass will be delivered next spring. The first trout are expected to be added in spring 2011, and the lake will eventually become an official state trout impoundment with brook, rainbow and brown trout species. Fishing licenses are required by the state.
“It will take a couple of years to fully restock the lake,” Swinkola said.
Non-motorized boats, canoes and kayaks can access the lake. Swinkola said the ETMA hopes to provide some boats for public use. A new addition to the lake is a grassy strip along the top of the dam that picnickers and strollers can walk across for a spectacular view, he added.
Edgar Tufts Park includes a playground and two covered picnic shelters available for family picnics, reunions and church functions. The ETMA would eventually like to develop educational nature programs for youth at the lake and park, Swinkola said.
The ETMA was founded in 1923 to support the Banner Elk Presbyterian Church’s ministries of education, healing and shelter at what are Lees-McRae College, Cannon Memorial Hospital and the Grandfather Home. Edgar Tufts founded all three of these organizations in the early 1900s.
In 1932, Tufts’ son, Edgar Hall Tufts, oversaw the construction of a new dam on the Wildcat Stream to provide a backup water supply for the hydroelectric plant in Banner Elk. The dam was constructed using student labor for about $5,000.
In April, the Wildlife Resources Commission delivered 5,000 small bluegill to the newly restored Wildcat Lake. Next year, large mouth bass will be added, followed by rainbow, brook and brown trout the next year. Photo submitted
Over time, however, the lake’s purpose shifted to recreation. One half of the lake property is available to the public for free. The other half of the lake is leased to the Holston Presbytery Camp, a summer camp and retreat center for several northeastern Tennessee churches.
The ETMA continues to own and operate the Wildcat Lake property. Cannon Memorial Hospital is no longer affiliated with the ETMA. Ed Hardin, a Banner Elk resident, is the chair of the ETMA board of trustees.
Until 2005, the ETMA used income off of its investments to fund the lake property’s upkeep and pay the lifeguards, Swinkola said. However, the $1 million repair project has essentially gutted the organization’s investments, he said. Various community groups contributed between $50,000 and $60,000 to assist in the project. The ETMA has enough funding to maintain the lake through the end of 2009.
“In summer 2010, it is incumbent upon us to find new funding sources to sustain park being open in years to come,” Swinkola said.
Contributions to the future upkeep and operation of the lake are gratefully welcomed. ETMA is a nonprofit organization, so donations are tax deductible. Send contributions to ETMA, PO Box 2519, Banner Elk 28604. For more information, call 828-898-5465.
Want To Go?
Date: Saturday, May 23
Time: 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
Location: Wildcat Lake, Banner Elk
Cost: Free
Restoring Wildcat Lake: A Community Effort
Volunteers from the Lees-McRae College volleyball team recently worked to groom the sandy beach at the newly restored Wildcat Lake. Photo submitted
The repair and restoration of Wildcat Lake took place as a result of the hard work, goodwill and dedication of numerous volunteers, businesses, civic groups, students and other organizations.
In October 2005, an engineer reported that damage to the Wildcat Lake dam, including three significant cracks in the arch structure and seepage between the wall and the abutting rocks, presented a risk for “catastrophic failure which would result in potential property and environmental damage, and the potential loss of life.” If the dam had collapsed, it would have put “a wall of water” on the first floors of the nearby Grandfather Home for Children campus, said Jim Swinkola, spokesperson for the Edgar Tufts Memorial Association (ETMA) and CEO of the Grandfather Home. The ETMA owns and operates Wildcat Lake.
The ETMA drained the lake and contracted Eggers Construction in Banner Elk to rebuild and secure the dam. The ETMA worked diligently with the state government for approval of the project plans, a process that took longer than expected, Swinkola said.
The new dam looks completely different than the old one, although the old dam remains as the core of the new. The dam has a 40-foot top portion and looks like a dam constructed of boulders.
Several volunteer workdays were held to contribute to the lake and park restoration. Community members, Lees-McRae students and Kiwanis Club members worked on such projects as smoothing out the sand in the beach area and re-seeding the grass. Children at the Grandfather Home helped measure and cut wood and nail planks to the new swimming pier.
“They’ve also worked and gotten some blisters on their hands,” said Swinkola.
The Banner Elk Kiwanis Club, Sugar Mountain Tourism Development Authority and Banner Elk Tourism Development Authority each made contributions of at least $10,000.
“We’re real thankful,” Swinkola said.
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