TOPEKA (KSNT) – On Monday morning the Shawnee County Commissioners approved an $800,000 project to build new campsites at Lake Shawnee. The area is funded by the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021.

The new campsites will be located in Area B of the campgrounds.

“For a point of reference, if you were to pull into the campground and take a right immediately, where you start the Winter Wonderland Tour, to give you a reference, that’s area B. We will be adding new sites there, they will be pull-through sites, and they’re much larger than the sites we have currently,” Director of Shawnee County parks and Recreations, Tim Laurent said.

Construction will start this week, with the goal of finishing the project by May 2023.

According to the Shawnee County Parks and Recreation Department, Lake Shawnee currently has 123 campsites, two of which are handicapped accessible. The current sites have electricity year-round.

There are currently a limited number of sites open during the off-season and water is turned off.