Feds closing 21 parks in Georgia ahead of the Memorial Day holiday

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is closing 21 of the 51 boat ramp access parks on Lake Lanier.

The closures were announced on Wednesday morning, less than a week before the highly anticipated Memorial Day weekend. The corps cited staffing shortfalls for the closures in a statement on its website.

The staffing shortage have been caused by cuts to the federal budget.

"The well-being of our community is our top priority, and the current staffing levels do not allow us to maintain the necessary safety measures within our parks," the statement said. "This includes essential services such as park supervision, maintenance, and safety monitoring that ensure a secure and enjoyable environment for all visitors."

The closures are due to staffing shortages caused by federal budget cuts.

The effected parks are listed below:

• Balus Creek Park (Mountain View Road, Oakwood)

• Belton Bridge Park (Belton Bridge Road, Lula)

• Burton Mill Park (Yacht Club Road, Flowery Branch)

• Keith Bridge Park (Old Keith Bridge Road, Gainesville)

• Little Hall Park (Little Hall Road, Gainesville)

• Little Ridge Road Park (Little Ridge South Road, Cumming)

• Little River Park (Little River Park Road, Gainesville)

• Long Hollow Park (Bryant Road, Gainesville)

• Lula Bridge Boat Ramp (Lula Road, Lula)

• Mountain View Park (N. Cove Road, Gainesville)

• Old Federal Day Use Park (G.C. Crow Road, Flowery Branch

• Robinson Park (Robinson Road, Gainesville)

• Sardis Creek Park (Antioch Church Road, Gainesville)

• Simpson Park (Simpson Park Road, Gainesville)

• Thompson Bridge Park (Dunlap Landing Road, Gainesville)

• Tidwell Park (Pilgrim Mill Road, Cumming)

• Two Mile Creek Park (Bethel Road, Gainesville)

• Upper Overlook (Upper Overlook Park Road, Buford)

• Van Pugh North Park (Gaines Ferry Road, Flowery Branch)

• Van Pugh South Park (Gaines Ferry Road, Flowery Branch)

• Vanns Tavern Park (Vanns Tavern Road, Gainesville)

Neither the Corps of Engineers nor the Georgia Department of Natural Resources responded to request for comment.

Hall County's Parks and Leisure Services

issued a statement clarifying that parks managed by the county will remain open, including Bolding Mill Park, Duckett Mill Park, Laurel Park and Wahoo Creek Park. They also said in a comment replying to one citizen's concerns about the closure of Sardis Creek Park that the county will be taking over operations of that facility on July 1.

Forsyth County's Parks and Recreation Department

issued a similar statement, assuring that the parks they manage also remain open. That includes Bald Ridge Campground, Charleston Park, Sawnee Campground, Shady Grove Campground, Mary Alice Park, Six Mile Creek Park and Young Deer Creek Park.

Dawson County officials also confirmed that parks operated by their parks and recreation department will remain open. Those include Nix Bridge Park, Thompson Creek Park, Toto Creek Park and War Hill Park.