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After more than a decade of planning and construction, the Lake Enhancement Task Force is ready to officially dedicate the Dr. Bill and Emily Shelton Pavilion as part of the Cassels-Boykin County Park Expansion project.

A dedication ceremony will be held at 10 a.m. Friday at the pavilion. The public is invited to attend.

The multi-purpose pavilion, five new boat ramps, restrooms and a 100-space parking lot for trucks and trailers have been added to the park during the first two phases of the project, said chairman of the Lake Enhancement Task Force James Slack.

The area can be rented for special events.

“The whole point is for this to generate enough income to maintain itself and other parks along Lake Sam Rayburn in Angelina County,” Slack said. “The restrooms have been specifically designed with special events in mind. I think we have more weddings there than bass tournaments. There is a changing room for brides, and it’s air conditioned. The word is getting out that this is the place to have a wedding because it overlooks the lake. It’s beautiful.”

Dr. Bill Shelton had driven the project’s process from 2003 until 2006, when he passed away. The pavilion will be named in his honor, along with his wife.

“Dr. Shelton really was the visionary behind the park,” said Tara Watson-Watkins, executive director of the Lufkin Convention and Visitors Bureau. “It’s named in their memory because of everything they did to honor the beauty of East Texas.”

For the next phase of the project, Slack said he hopes to build a fishing pier that will be handicap accessible. The project has been funded mainly through grants and private donations, Slack said, including the main benefactor, the T.L.L. Temple Foundation. Other donations have come from the Lower Neches Valley Authority, the Pineywoods Foundation, the Lions Club and Texas Parks and Wildlife.

Melissa Hayes’ e-mail address is mhayes@lufkindailynews.com.

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