If you’ve visited AJ Jolly Park recently, you probably noticed the lake has been lowered and is under ongoing excavation.
Lowering the AJ Jolly lake water level was necessary for safe dam work and also enabled the county to complete other significant improvements simultaneously. As part of that work, the Campbell County Fiscal Court accepted a bid from Prus Construction for the AJ Jolly Spillway Reconstruction project for $3,518,256.50 at its meeting on May 6.
Campbell County Administrator Matt Elberfeld said the bid from Prus was below the probable cost opinion of $4.4 million from Verdantas Engineering. Project planning and construction were included in both the county’s fiscal 2026 and 2027 budgets.
The lake’s dam was constructed in 1960, and in 1983, a spillway (a structure that allows excess water to safely pass over or around a dam) and a bridge were constructed. Since then, sediment and other natural factors have gone without maintenance, lowering the water levels, in some places, to inches.
Elberfeld said Wednesday that the project has been a long time in the making, something he has worked on for about 10 years.
“The spillway is not at any imminent risk of failure,” he said. “We don’t want anyone to get that impression, but it is inspected annually by the division of water, and over time, there’s been some voids and deficiencies in the concrete that make it prudent to replace that that’s what this bit award was.”
The lake has to be lowered about 10 to 12 feet, and stay that way during the construction period.
“While that’s down and the campgrounds closed, we’re trying to make the best of that,” Elberfeld said. “There’s some areas of the lake that could really use some dredging that have never been dredged. So while the water level is low, our own road department has been dredging with a long reach excavator.”
As of two weeks ago, Elberfeld said the county’s road department has already removed about 6,000 cubic yards of material.
Campbell County Judge/Executive Steve Pendery said Wednesday that some factors out of the county’s control such as rain could delay the project.
“The drain for the lake isn’t sufficient to clear all the water for every rain event so the lake level could go up and get in the way of completing the work and delay the project,” Pendery said. “There are other charms about this project that are possible, and we’d ask everybody to be patient.”
While the lake and campgrounds are closed for renovations, the county is offering free admissions to AJ Jolly Park for the season. The golf course, Stapleton Pavilion, shelters, playgrounds, trails, sports fields, tennis and pickleball courts, and disc golf will stay available, though some areas near active work zones may be restricted for safety. Park events will continue with scheduling adjustments as needed, including Jolly Thursdays, Music Nights, the Sun Valley Bluegrass Festival, Festival on the Lake, and Spooktacular.
Some special events and programs may have separate fees.
Elberfeld said if all goes to plan, about a year from now the park will be back in full operation.
