News Talk 94.1/AM 1600 Where The Upper Cumberland Talks
Officials at Cummins Falls State Park hope to have a new visitors center in place by the next year and a half.
Park Manager Ray Cutcher provided an update on the project during a public meeting on Wednesday.
“We thought we would be in construction right now but it hasn’t happened. Back in the spring, we put it out to bid and the low bid came back a million dollars over budget,” Cutcher said. “We had to go back to the drawing board and change some plans.”
Cutcher said he hopes the project will be bid out again after some issues get squared away with the Fire Marshals Office. The project will cost between $1.8 and $1.9 million dollars.
The new facility will include an interpretive center, gift shop, and snack bar.
Meantime, Cutcher said a new observation deck at the falls could be completed by next summer.
“The contractor we’ve been working with says he can build it within a couple of months when he gets started,” Cutcher said. “If it gets started next spring, we could probably have it next summer maybe. That’s something we’ve been trying to pursue ever since we became a state park.”
A $200,000 state grant will pay for the project, along with a $50,000 match provided by the Friends of Cummins Falls State Park group.
The new overlook will be built on the same spot as the current observation deck. The new deck will be ADA accessible.
