Project Titles:

• Rehabilitate Route 010 (FFS #R4KN)
• Rehabilitate Pond 4 Dam (FFS #R4KQ)
• Repair Metal Siding Roof (FFS #R4KR)

State: Arkansas

Initial Project Description: The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS, the Service) will use American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Recovery Act) funds to make important improvements at the historic White River National Wildlife Refuge near St. Charles, Arkansas.

The Service awarded Puente Construction Enterprises, Inc. $31,374 to repair a historic storage building that was built in the 1930s by the Civilian Conservation Corps, as part of Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal. The project will replace the roof, siding, and doors.

The Service also awarded $629,491 to Specpro Environmental Servies (SES) Construction and Fuel Services to repair Brown Shanty Road, a public access road at the refuge that provides employees and visitors with access to several lakes, boat ramps, and camp sites. In addition, SES Construction will repair a leaking dam and water control structure at Pond 4, a popular fishing spot that is home to the annual Youth Fishing Rodeo Day.

White River National Wildlife Refuge has a long and colorful history. Hernando DeSoto landed near what is now St. Charles when it was an Indian village. Later, the area became a trading post as goods moved up and down the White River to the Mississippi River. The refuge was established in 1935, and the Civilian Conservation Corps built several buildings at the refuge that are still in use, including a headquarters building, staff quarters, a garage, and a storage building.

“These buildings are eligible for national historic registration, and we do everything we can to preserve and protect them, and keep them looking like they did when they were originally built,” said Refuge Manager, Dennis Sharp.

White River National Wildlife Refuge welcomes more than 520,000 visitors annually. Its 160,000 acres include 356 natural and man-made lakes; four active bald eagle nests; a healthy population of native black bears; numerous species of wading birds, shorebirds, and raptors; and the largest concentration of wintering mallard ducks in the Mississippi Flyway.

July 2011 Project Update: The Service contracted SES Construction and Fuel Services to rehabilitate the worn FHWA route 010 accessible road and rehabilitate Pond 4. Pond 4 leaked after several years of beaver digging and weather affected the earthen dam. According to Deputy Project Leader, Ron Hollis, “The project improved the quality and life of a low hazard dam. It allowed the refuge to manipulate the water levels [as] needed and reduced the effects of erosion on several areas of the pond.” In addition, the pond, which is used for the annual fish derby that the refuge hosts for approximately 100 children, now has three fish attractors, providing additional cover beneficial to some species of fish. The project created approximately five temporary jobs.

The accessible road rehabilitation project created approximately 10 temporary jobs. According to Hollis, “The improvements that were completed on the road [provide] better hydrology, better travel for visitors, and longevity [for] the road.”

The project to rehabilitate the storage building and repair the damaged metal siding, roof, and walkway door is underway. Initially, the project called for sand blasting the metal exterior, but only a pressure wash, primer, and re-painting were necessary. Two contractors will make improvements to bring the oil shed into compliance with electrical code. The project is expected to be complete by the end of September 2011.

September 2011 Project Update: Puente Construction Enterprises, Inc. completed the project to repair the storage building’s metal siding, roof, and walkway door in late summer 2011. Over 50 years ago, the Service used the storage building to store 55-gallon drums of oil. Today, the storage building houses the paint that refuge employees use to mark boundaries, trees, and ATV trails.

For more information, visit the White River National Wildlife Refuge website.

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Originally posted 06/07/2010
Updated 07/28/2011
Page Completed 09/21/2011