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Camp grounds for Lake Santa Margarita

September 20, 2011

A $300,000 grant from the state will cover the cost of new facilities at Lake Santa Margarita, including a new boat-in campground. [KCOY]

The San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors is expected to approve the grant Today.

Upgrading of facilities that are a quarter-century old is long overdue, officials say, as the infrastructure at the lake is falling into disrepair. New docks and restrooms are on the construction schedule, as well as the new boating campground.

“When this gets through we’ll have a total of 15 to 20 individual sites,” head ranger Chuck Woodward told KCOY. He called the boat-in site “one of the best kept secrets on the Central Coast.”


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Isn’t it interesting how the government throws these bones around. They threaten to close parks and recreational areas and use the scare tactic for votes and supports and everyone gets all excited and supports government and then they get their way and then turn away and throw a bone here and there and makes everyone feel warm and fizzy while still threatening to close or recreational areas or give them back to use to maintain. Want to talk about schemes, government gots the best thing going and we love to support them. We could all learn to be crooks from our leaders


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I, for one, would love to see the text of the “grant” – why did the state chose us over all the others that no doubt apply for crumbs from the master’s table. I’m pessimistic when it comes to government and money; are there strings attached? What do we have to do / implement to agree with this?


It reminds me of those quasi-checks that some less-than-reputable companies send out, endorsing them enrolls you in some ridiculous scheme that takes your money… lets, as a county, read that fine print before endorsing and cashing that check.


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I’m not sure how I feel about this.While it’s great that we’re getting the money, is Santa Margarita Lake really the best place for a campground? It’s a small lake with no swimming access. Every time I’ve been there, there haven’t been a lot of folks there. Is it necessary to add more campgrounds? Seems to me this is another misappropriation of taxpayer money.


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I love camping at Santa Margarita Lake!!! When I went 3 weeks ago it was packed!! Im not sure you know what your talking about, I camp there at LEAST 3 times during the summer when I’m not at Nacimiento Lake..this place really is a treasure!!


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God forbid we touch SLO precious water with our filthy bodies. I do find it comical they have this regulation at so many lakes and yet most every boater I know and have regularly watched wee wee’s in the water off their boats as their to lazy to hit the docks and heads.

To coin a bumper sticker I see in the Eastern Sierras regulary……

Drink up SLO, there’s plenty where that came from, LOL…


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I’m guessing the prohibition on swimming (body contact) has more to do with very low staffing and no lifeguards/rescue equipment anywhere near rather than effect on water that is later treated, like water from every other lake. Plus it could open the door to water sports. Margarita’s a great fishing lake for small boats. It doesn’t need to be a mini Nacimiento that has to have cops there all the time.


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Partly correct.

The city of SLO, SLO county health dept and SRWCB have rules governing drinking water and since there is no second holding pond like at Lopez or Nacimiento, before the water hits the treatment plant, they do not allow any contact.

And yes the lack of field staff in order to do the job correctly is another.

The city of SLO took over control of the all the water rights to Santa Margarita Lake since the late 1990’s when it took over the permit 7235 from the community of Santa Margarita that alloted 200 acre feet of water to the tiny community since 1947. Because of “lack of diligence” by SLO county staff the permit was revoked by the SRWCB and the city of SLO secured all the water for it’s exclusive use.


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A $300,000 grant from the state will cover the cost of new facilities at Lake Santa Margarita, including a new boat-in campground. [KCOY]


The San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors is expected to approve the grant Today.

———————————


And why wouldn’t they? It’s a gift. When the government above gives to the government below, what do you think they are going to do, turn it down? “No, please take that 300k and give it some other needy county.”


A better question would be what would the government below do if there were no strings attached to the 300k. Would they build a boat in campground? I doubt it.


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There is no free money,

and just because the state threw county parks a bone does not mean there is funding in place for the maintenance or the extra staff to run the new campsites.

Just look to Paso Robles and the problems they have had maintaining Barney Schwartz Park because there was no thought given to maintenance.

Or the problems at the Templeton Park pool. County Parks runs a minimal field staff and uses the same staff to run to all the north county parks in order to mow, service the restrooms, all the buildings and infrastructure and clean or service the pools, then staff the ticket booths and do the mussel inspections at the lakes. The field staff works hard and already has too much on their plates.

The Community Park in Santa Margarita was originally given to the County but they were reluctant to take it over for these very reasons. Now if Parks is going to layoff admin or management downtown and then turn around hire the staff needed to run the parks properly that would be a very different situation.

Santa Margarita Lake and it’s campsites are a gem of the county, the park is quiet, the campsites are clean, the lake is clean and the fishing is great all because there is no body contact with the lake. Compare this lake with any body contact lake in the county and the problems they have, especially on the weekends or holidays. For those of us who use this lake all the time, we would like to keep it this way…


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Actually, if they were anywhere near respectable, the board would review “the strings attached” – as the government NEVER redistributes wealth without strings attached. There are communities that deny state or federal money for that very reason.


I doubt that is SLO’s reason; rather, this is what they were told to do, so they’ll do it.


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“A $300,000 grant from the state…” should read A $300,000 grant from the taxpayers… – the state has no money, only what it redistributes from the citizenry. I for one am glad my taxes are helping the camp ground. These are things worthy of tax dollars.


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Well, I for one hope the County Parks Department does a better job of managing and maintaining these new facilities than they have the rest of the parks.


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