Park staff told the Williams County Park Board they expect major Blacktail Dam campground paving and trail construction to be largely complete this fall and provided status updates for other parks while reporting water-quality testing that identified blue-green algae in a few Blacktail locations and higher E. coli readings downstream from the dam.

Scott (parks staff) and other speakers reviewed the master-plan schedule for several parks. At Blacktail, staff said contractor work on trails is progressing quickly and that paving of the main campground roads and a new group-campground area is expected this fall, weather permitting. "The goal would be that the main road that goes through the campground ... get all of that paved this fall," the parks presenter said, adding that remaining spring work would be landscaping and restroom finishes.

Trail work at Blacktail includes a mix of three-foot nature trails and a six-foot crushed-rock loop; staff estimated roughly 6–7 miles of trail will be finished "in a few weeks." The board trimmed the planned number of beach campsites to reduce density and moved a restroom location after talking with nearby landowners.

Lookout Park: staff reported two outstanding items — fixing an ADA parking slope and connecting to rural water — and said contractors have acquired needed equipment and are moving ahead.

Kotarey Dam: staff said crews are addressing a waterline leak that created a small sinkhole at site No. 5 and resolving a drainage issue at site No. 3 and washouts on the north side of the park.

Epping Springbrook Dam: staff said the team is weighing two access-road options — substantial earthwork to reroute the entry or a smaller route revision plus paving — and hoped to bid parts of that project this year. The presenter said selected bids and an approach to limit heavy earthwork should improve cost-effectiveness.

Little Egypt: staff reported they plan to submit the annual maintenance/management plan to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers by March 31 next year; if approvals proceed on schedule, construction would be possible in 2027 and a reliable cost estimate for the remaining projects could be available by March 2026.

Water-quality sampling: staff said the soil conservation district sampled at Blacktail and found blue-green algae at a few spots; those samples have been submitted for analysis. The district also took an additional sampling point immediately downstream of the dam after prior results identified higher E. coli levels further downstream. "Directly coming out of the dam, the E. coli levels are normal. And then a mile downstream there's a dramatic increase in it," staff said, indicating the source is likely between the dam outflow and the downstream test site.

Other items: staff reported they will send two parks staff (the director and an assistant, Carter) to the Parks and Recreation Conference in Fargo in late September. The parks liaison said the Arts Across the Prairie project will not be sited on parks property; staff and the Council on the Arts identified an alternate site and expect to report next month.

Board members asked questions about timelines and documentation; staff said they would continue coordinating with contractors and agencies, and to document history and decisions in county records.