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U.S. Forest Service says Grindstone Campground bid received; wastewater redesign and $5M estimate aim to reopen site
Summary
Mount Rogers NRA reported 15 bidders for Grindstone Campground repairs and said a complete wastewater system design and roughly $5 million in combined funding will finance reconstruction; the Forest Service hopes to select a contractor after an April 24 bid opening and potentially reopen the campground within a year to a year-plus.
Ed Wright, area ranger for the Mount Rogers National Recreation Area (Speaker 7), told the Smyth County Board the Forest Service received 15 bidders at an April 24 bid opening for Grindstone Campground. Wright said the project has a full wastewater treatment system design and funding assembled primarily from federal sources, and that the selected design‑build contractor will have a one‑year contract window with hopes the campground might reopen sooner.
Wright said the funding package came from a combination of the Great American Outdoors Act and a disaster supplemental allocation that became available to the National Forest. “We got all the money that we believe we need in hand so we could go ahead and release that bid,” he said. He described planned site work to replace lagoons and install a more permanent wastewater system, beautification of two campsite loops, campsite gravel and picnic tables, upgraded bathhouse fixtures, and electrical upgrades (including 50‑amp service at some sites).
Wright also summarized broader storm‑repair work completed through emergency relief funds on forest roads and trailheads, and described upcoming agreements with the Department of Wildlife Resources and Department of Conservation and Recreation that could benefit the county’s Coldwater Fish Hatchery and stocking programs. He offered to update the board after the contract award with a timeline and contractor identity.
Provenance: topic introduced SEG 1123; update and Q&A run SEG 1129–SEG 1712.
