Sportsmen Building New Bathhouse At Tuckahoe WMA

The wood frame for the roof was on the new bathhouse at the campground at Tuckahoe WMA, and it was nearly ready for metal roofing.

The blockwork is up for the 16- by 27-foot building, the roof’s going on soon, and with a little luck, a well will be drilled this summer. Hunters camping at Tuckahoe WMA this fall will be pleased to see a brand new bathhouse in the campground, complete with hot-water showers. This bathhouse was built by sportsmen.

According to Vic VanSant, WRD region supervisor of game management, Tuckahoe was one of the few WMAs that had the convenience of a bathhouse, which was constructed at the check station.

“The way it was constructed was sub par,” said Vic. “It was difficult to keep it operational.”

Then the campground was moved to a new location about a mile away, and no bathhouse facilities were available there. Instead of simply whining about it, a group of sportsmen from Gainesville did something to improve the situation: they went to work.

The momentum behind building the new bathhouse was provided by deer hunters who are members of the Belmont Baptist Church of Gainesville, who over the past 10 or 12 years have been camping and hunting each fall at Tuckahoe and offering a campground ministry.

“The state didn’t have any money to build a new bathhouse, so we put our heads together and decided to do it ourselves,” said Eric Massey of Gainesville. “We got the okay from DNR and went to work. Almost everything has come from volunteers and private donations.”

Help with the project included Candler Concrete’s donation of two septic tanks; Ace Hardware in Sylvania donated mortar and sand; WW Metals in Pendergrass donated the metal roofing.

“We still have to drill a well, which is about $3,200,” said Eric. “Once we get that completed, we’ll install the toilets and shower fixtures, which were donated by City Plumbing in Gainesville.

“Hopefully, we will have ribbon-cutting — or toilet flushing — ceremony in September to give the bathhouse to the state from Belmont Outdoor Ministries.”

If you would like to donate to the effort to install a well for the Tuckahoe bathhouse, contact Eric Massey at (770) 536-7060 or (678) 316-5986.

“It is going to be a nice addition,” said Eric.