Glade Run will be back in 2017
MIDDLESEX TWP — Governor Tom Corbett braved the unseasonably chilly temperatures at the empty Glade Run Lake on Wednesday to announce to a jubilant crowd that the lake would be rebuilt in 2016 and ready for boating and fishing in 2017.
Corbett announced the state will provide $2 million of the more than $4 million needed to rebuild the faulty dam and refill the 52-acre lake, which was deemed a safety hazard in 2002 and drained in 2011.
The state Fish and Boat Commission also will pitch in $2 million from funds it receives through taxes included in the recent transportation law.
The remaining funds will be provided by Butler County, the township and the Glade Run Lake Conservancy, which has raised $300,000 toward the lake's restoration.
Corbett; state Sens. Randy Vulakovich, R-40th, Don White, R-41st, and Scott Hutchinson, R-21st; Fish and Boat Commission Executive Director John Arway; all three county commissioners; all three township supervisors; county Tourism and Convention Bureau President Jack Cohen; the conservancy board; and many others gathered at the lake property to celebrate the announcement that the restoration would be funded.
“It's getting done because all of you were so enthusiastic and determined to get it done,” Corbett said. “I look forward to bringing my grandson up here to fish and kayak.”
Corbett said while the dam will be rebuilt and the lake refilled, the 2,000-member conservancy's work is not over. He said every park or recreation facility in the state is able to survive and thrive because of volunteers.
“This is the end of one chapter,” Corbett said, “but the real work is beginning now.”
Siggy Pehel, conservancy president, said the group has a long-term plan for the lake property that includes a two-mile walking trail, upgrades and additional parking for the handicapped fishing jetty, and a pavilion for picnics.
“We're not going to rest on our laurels,” Pehel said. “We're going to push forward to build this property into the jewel in the region that it was and should be.”
Corbett said while the dam will be rebuilt and the lake refilled, the 2,000-member conservancy's work is not over. He said every park or recreation facility in the state is able to survive and thrive because of volunteers.“This is the end of one chapter,” Corbett said, “but the real work is beginning now.”Siggy Pehel, conservancy president, said the group has a long-term plan for the lake property that includes a two-mile walking trail, upgrades and additional parking for the handicapped fishing jetty, and a pavilion for picnics.“We're not going to rest on our laurels,” Pehel said. “We're going to push forward to build this property into the jewel in the region that it was and should be.”Middlesex supervisors Chairman Mike Spreng, who is also a member of the conservancy board of directors, was thrilled with the announcement of funding because he grew up near the lake during a time before video games and 24-hour television.“My first time down here, I was 3 years old,” said Spreng. “My brother and I lived down here as kids.”He said the new lake will provide an outdoor venue for families moving into the homes being built in three new residential developments in the township.Spreng knows firsthand the hours and effort the conservancy board and its members have devoted to the lake's restoration, which was thought to be several years off.“This group worked so hard to put this together,” Spreng said.County Commissioner Dale Pinkerton was all smiles as he chatted with those gathered for the governor's announcement.“I feel absolutely fantastic about moving forward,” Pinkerton said. “We need recreational areas in all parts of our county. This will bring people in to enjoy and admire Butler County.”Arway said boating registrations and fishing licenses provide the state with $3.2 billion per year in revenue, and businesses also benefit from boaters and anglers who stop to pick up gas or a sandwich for lunch.For these reasons, spending more than $4 million to restore the lake is a good investment, Arway said.“The benefits of a lake like Glade Run far outweigh the costs over the course of its lifetime,” he said.Vulakovich, who introduced each speaker at the windswept news conference, praised the efforts of the conservancy in its effort to have the lake restored.“What you guys did was phenomenal,” Vulakovich said. “You pulled together and painted a picture of what you wanted to see at this site.”He recalled his initial contact with Pehel a few years ago regarding state funding.“I admit that when I was first approached, I didn't know there was a lake here,” Vulakovich said.He recalled Pehel's repeated demands he come look at the drained lake and surrounding natural beauty so Vulakovich could see firsthand what the community is missing.“The first time I came here, it was snowing so hard I couldn't see where the lake was,” he said.A later visit convinced him the state must help fund the lake's return.“It's an absolutely beautiful setting,” he said.Evan Kremer, 11, is the boy in conservancy posters sitting dejectedly on a dock jutting into the dry lake. The picture is used in conservancy brochures and billboards.“I'm happy it's coming back,” said the South Butler Intermediate School student. “I always caught trout every time I came.”Evan, who Pehel called “Lake Boy,” said the lake is an important regional feature for everyone who cares to use it.“It has easy access for handicapped people, and it's a nice, close lake for everyone,” he said.The final speaker was Pehel, who Vulakovich good-naturedly called “a pain in the neck” due to Pehel's relentless pressure on him to get state funding for the lake's restoration.“If I had to pick one person who made this happen, it would be Siggy Pehel,” Vulakovich said to loud and sustained applause.As usual, Pehel shrugged off the praise.“This is not me, this is the Glade Run Lake Conservancy,” Pehel said before insisting the entire board join him at the podium. “They worked passionately and diligently and gave so much of their time and money.”Pehel thanked a long list of people and groups, including his wife, the three senators present, Cohen, the Middlesex supervisors, the county commissioners and even Evan Kremer.“Lake Boy, shake the governor's hand,” Pehel said as a wide-eyed Evan complied.“We'll see you when the lake's filled again,” Pehel said, causing a cheer to rise from the people in attendance.After the news conference, residents milled about in a jubilant form.“We got engaged right down there in 1976,” said Art King as he pointed to a spot on the former lakeshore.King said he picked up garbage at the lake property as a Boy Scout, and had a rowboat moored at the lake for him and his three children.“I can't wait to go kayaking here,” said his wife, Kathy King. “He got me a kayak for Christmas.”Ken and Karen Shane's property abuts the lake property. They have lived in their Overbrook Road house since 1978.Ken Shane said his family missed the crowds of anglers on the first day of trout season each spring, as well as the Canada geese that used the lake as a stopover during their migration south every fall.“There are a lot of things we've missed, but mostly just the beauty of it,” he said.His daughter, Colleen Harmon, became teary-eyed at the announcement that the lake she has loved since early childhood will return.“I grew up here, fishing, taking walks in the woods, ice skating, sled riding on the hills and having little picnics,” Harmon said. “The lake is important because it can bring so many people together for so many activities.”According to the conservancy's website, construction of the lake's dam began in the fall of 1954. The dam and lake were completed and the lake began to fill in March 1955.The first trout were stocked the next month, and about 8,000 anglers stood shoulder-to-shoulder on the first day of trout season in 1955.More information on the lake or instructions on how to help with ongoing projects is available at gladerunlakeconservancy.org.
