The Meadville Tribune
Thursday, March 12, 2015

CONNEAUT LAKE  ̶  Voters will have another opportunity to decide if Conneaut Lake Borough will remain a dry town or if alcohol sales will be permitted.

The Conneaut Lake Community Development Committee spearheaded a campaign to have the question put on the May 19 ballot.  Seventy borough residents signed the petition to have the question placed on the ballot for the spring primary.  Only 35 signatures were needed.

The question was last on the ballot in 2011 when the vote was 84 against having alcohol sold in the borough and 64 approving the idea, thus keeping the borough a “dry” town.

The question can only be placed on the ballot every three years, according to Melanie Mushrush, director of Crawford County Voter Services.

Generally in a primary election, only registered Democrats or Republican can cast ballots.  With special questions, all registered voters regardless of their party registration can vote.  Those not registered Democrat or Republican can vote only on the special question.

Bill Eldridge, chairman of CLCDC, previously said economics is the reason why the CLCDC believes alcoholic beverages should be allowed to be sold in the borough.  Pointing out that people can buy alcohol only 100 feet from the borough line, Eldridge said previously that having it available within Conneaut Lake lines would be an incentive for hotels and high-end restaurants to consider investing in the borough.

This is at least the fifth time Conneaut Lake Borough residents have voted on this question.

History records show that in 1945, 144 voted against alcohol sales and 54 said yes  ̶  with 96 percent of the voters at that time casting votes on the question.

The vote totals were then 155 to 125 in 1957 and 139 to 89 in 1963.

Dick Holabaugh, president of Conneaut Lake Borough Council, said at a recent council work session that council would not take a stand on the issue as a government body.  If the question is approved by the voters, borough council then would have to allow alcohol to be sold in the borough.

The CLCDC also is spearheading the town’s current revitalization construction project.  The committee is comprised of active interested citizens with specific goals to improve business and economic activity and to make the town more attractive to business, tourists and consumers.

The Meadville Tribune
By Jean Shanley
Tuesday, February 17, 2015

CONNEAUT LAKE  ̶  On-street parking will remain on Water Street when the borough’s revitalization plan is completed, according to preliminary plans for the multi-million dollar project.

That was one of the questions answered by representatives of CT Consultants at a recent meeting of Conneaut Lake Borough Council.

The representatives gave an update on progress of the town’s revitalization at the meeting.  Council and members of the audience were assured by the representatives that the planned revitalization is going to happen.

Detailing various aspects of the plan were Paul Roszak, consultant for landscape design; Ben Levenger, project coordinator; and James Golias, project engineer.

The planning on the present Water Street and Fireman’s Beach revitalization began in 2011 when a grant was requested.

The preliminary engineering design will be given to council soon for its approval.  The next step will be creating the final design, which will be presented to the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation for its approval.   Water Street is a state highway, so PennDOT must approve any changes to the road.

From there, the construction project will be put up for bid.

Depending on the length of time each approval takes, the construction work on Water Street may begin in spring 2016, according to the representatives.  A start date for construction at Fireman’s Beach was not provided by CT Consultants.

The revitalization plan also calls for various upgrades to Fireman’s Beach.  The Water Street and Fireman’s Beach projects are separate, as funding has been obtained though grants for each of the projects.

More than $3 million  ̶  half the expected total cost  ̶  has been raised thus far through a combination of state, federal and local grants and other funds.  

Representatives said contractors will work with Water Street businesses to keep any disruption at a minimum while construction takes place.

More grants are being sought by the Conneaut Lake Community Development Committee to finish the project.

Anyone with questions or suggestions should make them now before preliminary plans are completed, according to CT Consultants.  To ask a question or make a suggestion, contact borough council Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to noon at the town hall, 395 High St.; or call (814) 213-0051.

The Meadville Tribune – Special Section
By Jean Shanley
Sunday, February 15, 2015

The decision of two Conneaut Lake-area couples to purchase property and create Ice House Park so the public would still have access to the lake and its view has sparked an effort to make the rest of the town as beautiful as the lake.

In 2006, Dr. Robert Moyers and his wife, Bobbie, along with Bob Moss and his wife, Kathy, purchased the property at the south end of Conneaut Lake, which is now known as Ice House Park, an area designed for people to enjoy the view of the lake and to have a place for small gatherings.

The couples invested their own money and then received a state grant to complete the project, which has become a showpiece for the town.

With that finished, the couples took steps to organize the Conneaut Lake Community Development Committee (CLCDC), which has been designing plans for improvement throughout the borough, including putting the utilities underground and improving Fireman’s Beach.  That was in 2007.

The purpose of the committee is to “revitalize the Borough of Conneaut Lake’s appearance, economic activity and its business so that it will become a thriving tourist destination while also improving the health, welfare, safety and quality of life for all area residents and to develop the community’s unique identity consistent with its history and location on the largest natural lake in Pennsylvania.”

The CLCDC has been busy applying for grants to fund projects to improve both Water Street and Fireman’s Beach.  With the projects estimated at nearly $7 million, almost half of the funding has already been acquired through grants.  If things go according to plan, construction could begin on Water Street later this year and in late 2016 for Fireman’s Beach.

Showing people care
Moyers, who was chairman of the committee in the beginning, said he believes the improvements are important because they show how people care.  He said every summer it seems a big truck would go through town and tear down utility lines, leaving the town not only unsightly, but also dangerous.  He said the underground lines would make it not only look more attractive but safer for the community.

“Conneaut Lake has always been a resort community,” Moyers said, adding, “We fell behind in some aspects.”

He believes it is important to make the improvements so people can be proud of the town when it has visitors.  He said most people live in the area because they found it attractive, and he believes it is important to maintain the upkeep of the town.

Moyers recalled that in 1948 when Fireman’s Beach was developed, it was a swamp and his father was someone who spent time filling in the swamp so it became a recreational area.  Moyers said he helped with the effort when he was home from college.

He said while some people asked, “What’s the matter with our town?” when the CLCDC was first formed, he knew there were many who were interested in improving the town.  He said the town “just looked like we had no pride.”

When CLCDC applied for and received a grant for improvements in Fireman’s Beach in 2008, Conneaut Lake Borough Council, which had to accept the grant, declined the grant from the Department of Environmental Resources because the grant stipulations were too restrictive and they believed accepting the grant meant relinquishing control of the beach.  That was in 2008.

Things have changed
Since then, things have changed.  CLCDC requested permission to submit a $25,000 grant application for funding to develop a comprehensive master plan.

The grant application was approved in July 2011 and that became the starting point for the present revitalization effort, according to Bill Eldridge, CLCDC chairman.

Eldridge was elected to borough council in November 2011 and has become council’s liaison to the CLCDC.  Conneaut Lake Mayor Tim Kaider serves with Eldridge on the CLCDC committee from council.

Since that time, Eldridge has been working with E.G.&G.,  a consulting firm, searching for grant opportunities and has spent countless hours writing and submitting grants.  All the preparations and grant work take years to be completed.

Joanie Kozlowski has been involved with the CLCDC since the beginning.  Also an owner of The Berry Basket gift shop in town and treasurer of Conneaut Lake Area Business Association, she remembers one of the first meetings with the utility companies about putting the lines underground.  She said they were told it would take between seven and ten years and the response was “You’re kidding us.”

The committee was told it needed an engineer and project manager to design the plans and she recalled, “Bob Moss (who had the necessary credentials) took the bull by the horn and got all the drawings done.”

She has seen much progress since then and said, “I can’t wait for it to start.”

“A facelift is what we really need,” she said, adding the signage, lights and walkways design are going to improve the safety for the public and make the town more walker friendly and the beach more accessible.  

She and Moyers both agreed that improving the town is necessary also because of the huge traffic volume  ̶  which comes from Interstate 79 and heads to Pymatuning State Park and other areas.

“We’ve got to build from the bottom up,” Kozlowski said, noting the importance of the infrastructure work, which is planned also.

Work to be done
After having town hall meetings and receiving public comment, the CLCDC drew up a list of priorities for the work to be done.

Eldridge said the town hall meetings were designed to publicly unveil the preliminary concept drawings for the proposed town improvements and to solicit reactions and suggestions for the proposed improvements.  He said public comments were analyzed and the concept plans and drawings were revised to incorporate the best ideas.

The major components of the Water Street downtown project include sidewalks, crosswalk pavements and handicapped accessibility, underground utility relocations, street lighting system, street trees and landscape enhancements, curb, gutters and driveway aprons, roadway pavement, street marking and traffic signage, storm drainage system and a new traffic signal system.

The major components of the Fireman’s Beach project include guard house/circular entrance with signage, double boat ramp, boat docking system, major parking lot loop  drive, pedestrian promenade along water front, pedestrian lake access ramp, concession restroom upgrade, pavilion/picnic facilities, playground and promenade parking lighting.

While Conneaut Lake Park is an added attraction to the Conneaut Lake area, the CLCDC is not working on any projects or grant applications that would include any work at Conneaut Lake Park  ̶  only to Conneaut Lake Borough.

Grants received
To date, more than $3 million in grants has been received for the two projects  ̶  Water Street and Fireman’s Beach improvements  ̶  estimated to cost nearly $7 million.

In addition to the initial state Department of Community Development planning grant of $25,000, the CLCDC has raised more than $150,000 in cash from businesses and individuals.

Other grants received have been Appalachian Regional Commission, $150,000;  DCED, $175,000; state Department of Community and Natural Resources (DCNR), $400,000; Crawford County Act 13 and Community Development Block Grant, $210,000;  the federal Economic Development Administration, $1 million; National Endowment for the Arts, $75,000; DCNR $375,000; and the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, $400,000.

Two applications are pending a final decision during 2015  ̶  one from DCED for $375,000 and one from PennDOT for $150,000, Eldridge said.

The CLCDC also persuaded the borough to commit $150,000 to the project, which Eldridge said was huge compared to council’s annual budget.

“CLCDC has worked tirelessly behind the scenes at no cost to the borough to research, investigate, solicit, support, plead, justify, advertise and offer for opportunities to provide funding for our worthy project,” Eldridge said.

All advance coordination, meeting with granting agencies, applications preparation work, explanation of requests, provision of additional information, obtaining government official support letters and intervention, travel expenses, volunteer labor and time are provided by the CLCDC, Eldridge said.  He said when a funding opportunity is considered promising, the CLCDC works to prepare all documents so borough council is able to effortlessly authorize the submission of the request knowing that all required paperwork has been prudently, professionally and strategically prepared.

Many have recognized Eldridge at borough council meetings for his extensive work on the grant applications and other CLCDC work on behalf of council.

Other developments
One of the main ideas mentioned many times was the possibility of attracting a high-end restaurant to locate in town.  While that remains to be seen, Hermitage-based Hudson Property Management has proposed building a $10 million senior living center at Conneaut Lake in the next two years.

Eldridge believes the borough has become an attractive investment site for this project in part due to the grants Conneaut Lake Borough has received for the revitalization.

Although not directly a CLCDC project, the Ron Anderson family, a major CLCDC supporter, was motivated to donate a $540,000 renovated church as a matching contribution to be used by the borough as a new town hall/community center.  That property was deeded over to the borough at the end of December and now is being used.

A grant from the National Endowment for the Arts was received and work on art projects in the borough was started through collaboration with Allegheny College Professor Amara Geffen.

Planned construction schedule
Eldridge said construction will begin when the final engineering design work is completed.  That work is ongoing and is being pursued as appropriate funding becomes available.

Funding for the two main projects is being pursued separately because the funding is earmarked separately.  Eldridge said the preliminary engineering design for Water Street will be presented to borough council in the near future and the drawings will be finalized upon council’s approval.

“If there are no major revisions and re-engineering requirements identified during the review process, construction and bidding documents can be finalized in time for a September 2015 construction award date,” he said.

Schedule for the work will be staggered to account for weather and to minimize wholesale disruption of commerce in the downtown business district, he added, noting construction will probably be scheduled one block at a time.

At this time the Fireman’s Beach schedule is about six to eight months behind the Water Street schedule, Eldridge said.  If possible Fireman’s Beach summer activities will not be reduced and construction will be scheduled to occur during the beach off-season, meaning construction would begin in September 2016, he said.

Work will proceed as funding allows.  “We anticipate additional funding coming in before the bidding project begins,” he said.  He added that it may be necessary to pursue the improvements in stages as available funding dictates, but once construction begins it will continue progressively until all the improvements are complete.

Project phases and costs
Eldridge said that it was recognized in the beginning that the master plan would be a long-range planning document and that the development of the plan was, by design, unconstrained by dollars so that a total assessment of all borough needs could be obtained.  He said it will be necessary to update the plan in the future to add unanticipated new requirements and remove the goals accomplished.

The original plan was analyzed after completion and determined to be too costly to pursue as one single realistic renovation project because of its massive nature.  The project being pursued includes the three-block business district of Water Street between First and Fourth streets and the upgrading of Fireman’s Beach facilities.  The cost estimate and upgrades for this project is $6.6 million with the actual cost to be determined by the bidding process.

Future plans include the side streets and the gateway connecting streets in the borough near the Golden Dawn market and the paving of the large new crushed stone parking lot at Fireman’s Beach, Eldridge said.

Reaction from others
Crawford County commissioners have offered support not only by a resolution of support but also through a $210,000 Community Development Block Grant.  Commissioner C. Sherman Allen said he believes the project is going very well and while he hasn’t attended some of the meetings, he has heard no complaints from anybody.  He said the CLCDC appears to have some very knowledgeable people doing the work, including Eldridge and others.

Borough council member Mike Krepps said council members are pleased with the grants being received and the work that had to be done to make that happen.

“The possibility of economic growth to our community is all good,” Krepps said, adding he is looking forward to the improvements at Fireman’s Beach and he recognizes the huge effort the CLCDC is making to obtain all the grants.

“We’re going to have construction pains,” said Dick Holabaugh, president of borough council, but “I’m excited about it.”  He hopes the beach project will generate new interest in bringing people to the lake, pointing out that plans call for additional boat docks.

Holabaugh paid tribute to all the work being done by the CLCDC and E.G.&G.

“They’ve done a yeoman’s job of obtaining funds,” he said.  “My hat’s off to them.  They’ve put in a lot of time and effort.”

The Meadville Tribune
By Earl Corp
Wednesday, January 28, 2015

A property management company is asking Crawford County commissioners for financial support to build a proposed $10 million senior living center at Conneaut Lake in the next two years.

Kelly Coey, development coordinator for Hermitage-based Hudson Property Management, presented the plan of Evans Square Retirement Living Center at Tuesday’s work session.  She requested the commissioners to show support for Evans Square by lending $100,000 from the Housing Trust Fund to help pay for the project.  The loan would be 30 years with no interest.

Coey said the Housing Trust Fund is money counties have allocated to help pay for affordable housing under Act 137.

If the commissioners vote to support Evans Square, the money would be divided into two $50,000 payments  ̶  the first being due in January 2016.  The second would come a year later  ̶  after the project is completed.

Coey said a market analysis conducted in December 2014 in the southwestern quadrant of the county found 1,400 residents who met the economic and age requirements to move into the center once it’s built.
The proposed structure will be built on a 0.86 acre lot between Line and Fifth streets in Conneaut Lake Borough near the post office.  Coey said the plan calls for Evans Square to have three stories which will hold 40 units  ̶  36 one-bedroom units and four two-bedrooms.

Coey gave an abbreviated timeline for the proposed center.  She said an application would be submitted to the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency in February.

According to its website, the PHFA provides capital for decent, safe and affordable homes and apartments for older adults, persons of modest means and those persons with special housing.

If the PHFA approves the application, Coey said Hudson Property Management would close on the property in January 2016.  She said construction of the center will take approximately a year.

Coey was asked if Hudson had any other funding sources.  She told the commissioners that Hudson was also seeking funding from Penn Homes and Tax Credits.  Penn Homes is a PHFA loan program, while Tax Credits is a program which a company can buy the tax credits that are allocated to the builders.

“Some of the tax credits won’t fund the entire project,” Coey said.  “That’s why we’ve got to get county money and Penn Homes.”

Coey told the commissioners that both Conneaut Lake Borough and Sadsbury Township are excited about Evans Square.  She said Crawford Area Transportation Authority has mentioned it could add a stop at Evans Square.

“There is a lot of support for this project,” Coey said.

Coey informed the commissioners that if PHFA turns the project down, it wouldn’t be the end.  Hudson would resubmit the application.

“Sometimes it takes one, two, three rounds for the application process,” Coey said.

The Meadville Tribune
By Jean Shanley
Saturday, January 24, 2015

CONNEAUT LAKE  ̶  Several rules regarding the new town hall were addressed at a recent meeting of Conneaut Lake Borough Council.

A lease with the Conneaut Lake Municipal Authority to rent two spaces in the hall was approved.  Also approved was purchase of wooden flagpoles for flags inside the building.

An open house and dedication is being planned.

A rental agreement for those wishing to rent the building also was approved.

The agreement states:
Events will be schedules only for the current year  ̶  Jan. 1 to Dec. 31.  Renters must be 21 years of age or older.  Event requests will be presented to borough council for approval.

Events requiring approval prior to the next scheduled borough council meeting will be approved by the property committee.  After approval has been granted, the rental agreement will be signed.

Rental for 2015 is $200 with an initial deposit of $50. 

All fees must be paid in full 14 days in advance of the rental date.
A $50 security fee will be required.
There will be no smoking of tobacco or other substances.
No alcohol sales will be permitted (BYOB permitted).
Hours for rental will be 9a.m. to 11p.m.
No cooking or baking will be allowed.
No traffic or parking control is provided.
Cleanup is the responsibility of the licensee.

The rental agreement will be reviewed with the licensee at the time of the signing.

The occupancy is for 125 people.

Rentals must be arranged by contacting the borough office at 395 High St. (814 213-0051) from 9a.m. to noon on weekdays.

The Meadville Tribune
By Jean Shanley
Thursday, January 22, 2015

CONNEAUT LAKE  ̶  Borough Council, at its recent meeting, approved a request from Conneaut Lake Community Development Committee to apply for two more grants as part of the Conneaut Lake Revitalization Project.

One is for $3 million under the Pennsylvania Assistance Capital Program and the other is for $375,000 from the state Department of Economic Development.

Bill Eldridge, chairman of the CLCDC, made the request and also announced donations of $1,250 have been received from private citizens.

More than $3 million has been raised so far for the revitalization project.

A work order has been approved to perform a survey of Fireman’s Beach as part of the revitalization effort.

In other business regarding the project, Bonnie Smith, a member of the safety committee of the Conneaut Lake Volunteer Fire Department, asked if there were any arrangements for storing a firefighting boat at Fireman’s Beach.  Nothing has been set up there yet, Eldridge said.

Borough Council ended the 2014 year with a cash carryover balance of $36,129.43.  Eldridge suggested some of that amount be set aside for the Revitalization Project, but it was decided to table that decision until Council sees all the expenses for the next couple of months.  It will be revisited at the April meeting.

The Meadville Tribune
By Jean Shanley
Saturday, January 17, 2015

CONNEAUT LAKE  ̶  A new senior housing apartment complex is being planned for Conneaut Lake Borough.

Borough Council at its most recent meeting approved a letter of support for the Hudson Group of Hermitage to apply for funding to erect a three-story building that will provide 40 one-bedroom apartments for senior citizens.

Hudson Group is exploring financing for the complex.  No timetable has been announced for when it could be built.

The complex will be built on three vacant lots presently owned by Alan Moss and bordered by Line Street on the north, Church Drive on the south, Fifth Street on the west and Ray Schneider’s Pipe Supply on the east.

Dick Holabaugh, president of Borough Council, said at the meeting that the plan is to build the complex to provide affordable housing for those 62 and older.

It will not be assisted living or Section 8 (low-income) housing, but it will be affordable housing.

He had no estimate of monthly rent.

Holabaugh said the Hudson Group is the company that constructed the dormitories at Penn State Erie, The Behrend College.

Bill Eldridge, chairman of the Conneaut Lake Community Development Committee and a member of council, said the borough has become an attractive investment site for the project in part because it future funded revitalization amenities that will enhance application for financing the project.

Wednesday’s borough council meeting was the first activity held at the new town hall, which has been donated to the borough last month by the Ron Anderson family.

Attempts to contact the Hudson Group were unsuccessful.

The Meadville Tribune
By Jean Shanley
Thursday November 20, 2014

CONNEAUT LAKE  ̶  Conneaut Lake will soon have a new town hall/community center.
Conneaut Lake Borough Council on Wednesday night approved accepting the donation of the former High Street Community Church from Conneaut Lake residents Ron and Gayle Anderson.

The vote was 4-1 with Council President Dick Holabaugh, Penny Monihan, Billy Paris and Bill Eldridge voting to accept the donation and Mike Krepps casting the dissenting vote.  Council members John Chuey and Dwight Stallard were out of town and unable to attend the meeting.

The date to have the property turned over ̶  will be determined at council’s Dec. 10 meeting.  Council expects the property to change hands before the end of the year.

The question of paying the expenses of operating the facility is still on some council members’ minds.

Holabaugh said council wanted to be sure it could pay operational expenses so it would not have to increase taxes to borough property owners to operate the facility.

He also questioned Jeff Millin, borough attorney, on what recourse council would have if it finds after a few years it cannot afford the building.  Millin reminded council of the agreements to the proposed deed transfer that has several options for council to dispose of the building if it were economically not able to operate it.

Holabaugh said all the council members crunched numbers in what it would cost to operate the town hall, and each of them had different figures.

He said because the building has been renovated and will be used in a different capacity than previously, it is difficult to know how much it will cost to operate it.

Holabaugh said council wanted to be 100 percent positive it would have some recourse to dispose of the building if it cost too much to operate.  He said council has to be totally responsible to borough taxpayers.

“I’m willing to give it a try as long as it can pay for itself,” Holabaugh said.  He said it is not designed to be a profit maker, but it should pay for itself.

Eldridge announced it already has an application for the rent of two of the five downstairs offices to house state Republican Rep.-elect Parke Wentling of the 17th District and his staff.

Council approved that request and final details will be determined by council as it compiles policies and the details of the lease by the Dec. 10 meeting.

Eldridge said the borough’s building inspector wants a stained glass window boarded and also the sign outside the building raised before anyone moves into the town hall.  Those issues are to be addressed by Anderson.

The borough will occupy one of the other three offices and the municipal authority may rent one.  Both the borough office and municipal authority have office space in another building in town now and that landlord would have to be notified.  The municipal authority will decide if it will move into the new town hall at its December meeting.

The decision to accept the donation of the building had been postponed after last week’s meeting, which was recessed until Wednesday when council members expressed the need for more time to study the legalities and financial aspects of accepting the donation.

Krepps said it was that action that resulted in his dissenting vote.  He felt all his questions had not been answered and was concerned about the lack of transparency before the meeting.

Eldridge, who has been the liaison working with Anderson, said he was pleased with the decision by council to accept the building.  He was thankful council took the time to make the decision quickly.

“I think it’s going to be a great facility for the citizens of Conneaut Lake,” Eldridge said.

Two members of the Conneaut Lake Community Development Committee commended council for its decision.

Ed Yates of the CLCDC said the town hall and Ice House Park are anchors for the multi-million dollar redevelopment work being planned by the CLCDC in its revitalization program.  Chad Waldschmidt of the CLCDC suggested council deserved a round of applause, which the audience of about 15  ̶  mostly CLCDC members  ̶  gave council in appreciation for its decision.

Anderson purchased the building from the church in November of 2013.  The church had built a new church building on Route 322 and had not used the former facility for a few years.  After Anderson purchased the building, extensive remodeling of the building was done and paid for by Anderson.  He then chose to donate it to the borough for a new community building and town hall.

The upstairs was renovated to allow the room to be rented with space to accommodate 125 people.  The bottom has five offices.  Both levels also have kitchen facilities as well.

Meadville Tribune
Thursday, November 13, 2014

Conneaut Lake Borough will receive nearly a half million dollars for one of 56 projects totaling $33 million in federal funds to improve transportation alternatives, PennDOT Secretary Barry J. Schoch recently announced.

Conneaut Lake Borough expects to receive $400,000 worth of these grant funds to support its ongoing restoration, according to Bill Eldridge, borough council member and chairman of the Conneaut Lake Community Development Committee.

“This latest grant represents a significant milestone in that we have now received a total of $3.25 million in funding from all sources putting us at approximately 50 (percent) of our Phase One goal of $6.6 million,” he said.  “We continue to seek other grant funding opportunities for Conneaut Lake revitalization.”

The $400,000 grant will fund improvements along Water Street between First and Second streets for crosswalks, concrete sidewalks, concrete driveways with curb cuts, pedestrian accessibility ramps, lighting and relocation of utilities, Eldridge said.

Transportation alternative projects enhance pedestrian and bicycle facilities, improve access to public transportation, create safe routes to school, preserve historic transportation structures, provide environmental mitigation, create trails that serve a transportation purpose, and promote safety and mobility.

“These awards represent yet another way PennDOT (the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation) is working to broaden the reach of transportation investments in Pennsylvania,” Schoch said.  “Combined with awards from the new state Multimodal Fund and the Transportation Infrastructure Investment Fund, this program opens the door to an even wider variety of improvements for the people of Pennsylvania.”

Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century, the 2012 federal transportation authorization act known as MAP-21, introduced fundamental changes to the administration of local programs, including those that had existed as separate programs in SAFETEALU, the previous authorization act.  Transportation Enhancements, Safe Routes to School, Scenic Byways and the Recreational Trails Program are now consolidated into the Transportation Alternative Program.

The Meadville Tribune
By:  Konstantine Fekos
Sunday, October 26, 2014

CONNEAUT LAKE  ̶  Members of the Conneaut Lake Community Development Community (CLCDC) held an open house Saturday afternoon to unveil the new Conneaut Lake Town Hall, formerly the High Street Church.

The historic building was purchased and renovated for about the past six months as a gift to the borough and community by the family of Ron and Gayle Anderson, longtime summer residents of the lake area, according to Bill Eldridge, CLCDC chairman.

“We have been blessed by the generosity of many financial supporters who all share the same vision of an economically revived and physically improved Conneaut Lake,” he said.  “This gift is truly exceptional.”

Improvements made to the building include new electrical service, energy-efficient lighting and fixtures, a new plumbing system, an extended-life metal roof system, newly installed accessibility elevators and bathrooms, insulated windows, an added 24-foot fiberglass steeple and more.

“When we heard about the downtown revitalization, we thought, ‘ What can we do besides putting a check in the mail?”‘  Ron Anderson told more than 50 open house attendees.  “This is it.”

Anderson believes revitalizing the roughly 100-year church to last another century helps retain the heritage of Conneaut Lake Borough.

The Anderson family withheld the building’s November 2013 purchase amount and final costs pending a formal appraisal, which Eldridge expects will be revealed as a grand total donation at the next borough council meeting on Nov. 12

“The potential financial benefits to the borough are astounding,” Eldridge said.  “Everything has been restored to like-new condition and will be turned over, at no cost, ready to operate without any significant investment costs needed.”

While not originally part of the master plan to revitalize the borough, the new town hall provides the community with more than a freshly modified, two-floor structure for office space and area for private and public functions.  

It also stands as one of the first tangible signs of borough revitalization, according to Kathy Moss, CLCDC member.

“This is a real start we can get our hands around,” she said.  “Things are happening and we’re very pleased.”

Her husband, CLCDC member Bob Moss, said the roughly $3 million worth of grant funding secured by the borough over the past few years has gone mainly into planning and studies so far, which will hopefully translate into visible modifications by the end of next year.

The new town hall is the borough’s “little jewel,” he said.  “It’s really become a part of the revitalization.  The church was vacated a couple of years ago and could’ve been sold or torn down.”

Bob Moss reported local residents have been inquiring as to the status of the borough’s overall revitalization and hopes people will understand that the master plan has taken approximately four to five years to develop and while nothing’s “on the ground” yet, changes are coming.

The master plan involves general improvements like new sidewalks and pedestrian crossings, new light poles with decorative banners, new traffic signalization and improved parking as well as major upgrades to Fireman’s Beach, including new docks, launches, picnic shelter, playground and more, Eldridge said.

The CLCDC’s most recent grants include $375,000 awarded by the state Bureau of Recreation and Conservation and Department of Conservation and Natural Resources just this month and $1 million awarded by the U.S. Department of Commerce in late July.