News Release No. 477

NEW CONCESSIONAIRE ANNOUNCED FOR
LAKE OF THE OZARKS STATE PARK

Volume 33-477

Contact: Sue Holst

(For immediate release)

573-751-6510

JEFFERSON CITY, MO, NOV. 21, 2005 -- The Missouri Department of Natural Resources has announced that a new company will take over management of the marina concession at Lake of the Ozarks State Park in 2006. Beginning Jan. 1, Lake of the Ozarks Marina Inc., based in Camdenton, will be operating the marina concession at Public Beach #1 in Kaiser and the Grand Glaize Beach and Pa Ha Tsi locations in Osage Beach.

The 10-year contract for the concession will include the marina stores at the Grand Glaize Beach and Public Beach #1 facilities, watercraft rental, slip rental, gas sales, and ramp fee collection at all three locations. The concession will provide service for weekend fishing tournaments beginning March 1. The general manager for the Lake of the Ozarks operations will be Dave Rogers.

Lake of the Ozarks Marina Inc. is owned by FOREVER RESORTS of Scottsdale, Ariz. FOREVER RESORTS has more than 24 years of resort and marina operational experience. Currently, the company operates 39 resort properties in the United States, 19 of which are located on national park units. These include Lake Mead National Recreation Area in Nevada, Blue Ridge Parkway National Park in Virginia and North Carolina, Olympic National Park in Washington, Mammoth Cave National Park in Kentucky, Badlands National Park in South Dakota, Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado, Isle Royale National Park in Minnesota, Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming, and Big Bend National Park, Lake Meredith National Recreation Area and Padre Island National Seashore in Texas.

A grand opening for the operation will be held in early spring. More details will be announced at that time.

The marina concession is part of the services and facilities offered at Lake of the Ozarks State Park, which is operated by the Department of Natural Resources. The 17,441-acre park also features a campground, rustic log camping cabins, and equestrian, mountain biking and hiking trails.

For more information on Lake of the Ozarks State Park, call the park directly at 573-348-2696 or the Department of Natural Resources toll free at 800-334-6946 (voice) or 800-379-2419 (Telecommunications Device for the Deaf). For more information on Missouri state parks and historic sites, visit www.mostateparks.com.

For news releases on the Web, visit www.dnr.mo.gov/newsrel. For a complete listing of upcoming meetings and events in the state park system, visit the online calendar at www.dnr.mo.gov/calendar/parkssearch.do.

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