CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Bonds meant to provide $25 million in improvements to Cacapon Resort State Park in the Eastern Panhandle have been approved for sale.
The state Economic Development Authority signed an agreement this week that will allow the excess lottery revenue bonds to be issued for improvements to the park in Morgan County near Berkeley Springs.
The excess lottery revenue bonds were made available for sale immediately.
West Virginia State Parks Chief Sam England says that engineering plans are being refreshed, ground will be broken sometime this winter and the project should be completed within two years.
“We’re planning to do a major modernization of the park’s facilities to bring them in line with the expectations of today’s tourists and travelers,” England stated in a news release from the state Department of Commerce.
The park’s history dates back to a Civilian Conservation Corps project in the 1930s. The original cabin from that project is still on site and in use.
The current, 48-room lodge was dedicated in 1956. Natural beauty is in enormous supply but many of the amenities don’t match tourists’ modern desires. Guest rooms are on the tight side and although there’s a lake for swimming, there’s no pool.
The bond sale would mean a $25 million investment including a 78-room lodge addition with new guest rooms along with a spa, an indoor pool, upgrades at the lodge restaurant and improvements at the golf course. The project will also mean upgrading the sewage system and electrical equipment.
Division of Natural Resources Director Stephen McDaniel said improvements at Cacapon will make the park even more popular with tourists to the Eastern Panhandle and visitors from the Washington, D.C., area.
“This will be a real attraction for that area and will significantly increase tourism, which will be good for all of the local businesses,” McDaniel stated.
Five years ago, the Legislature passed a law that authorized the sale of bonds for improvements to Cacapon, plus Beech Fork State Park, which is in Wayne and Cabell counties.
Then-Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin signed the bill but his administration decided not to actually move forward on issuing the bonds because of the state’s uneasy financial picture. Lottery revenues to pay back the bond debt were considered too soft at the time.
The issue came to a head – either humorously or horrifyingly – during the most recent legislative session when state Senate Judiciary Chairman Charles Trump, who lives in Morgan County, amended a bill to de-fund the entire state Tourism Department if progress weren’t made on the bond sale by this coming Jan. 1.
“People know how important the project at Cacapon State Park is,” Trump said at the time. “It’s probably one of the top economic projects in this whole state.”
Trump’s amendment passed in the Senate on the strength of supporters of both Cacapon and Beech Fork. But cooler heads amended the amendment back out once the bill reached the House of Delegates.
Now the project is ready to become official.
“We’re grateful to Gov. Jim Justice for authorizing this bond sale, and to the members of the Economic Development Authority for their hard work in putting it together so we can see this project become a reality,” McDaniel stated today.