The Meadville Tribune
Friday, October 17, 2014

CONNEAUT LAKE  ̶  Thanks to another grant of nearly $400,000, Conneaut Lake moved another step closer to securing the funds needed to revitalize its downtown.

Recreation projects in Crawford County will receive grants totaling $415,000 from the Community Conservation Partnerships Program (CCPP), Republican Sen. Bob Robbins of the 50th District announced.

Among the grants is $375,000 heading to Conneaut Lake Borough.  

Conneaut Lake receives the funds for rehabilitation and further development of Fireman’s Beach.  The work includes construction of a boat ramp, pedestrian walkways, access road and rain gardens, parking areas, Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) access, landscaping and other site improvements.

“This is a great investment by the state in the development of these recreational areas,” Robbins said.  “This is another example of the state partnering with local communities to improve the quality of life for the residents of Crawford County.”

This is the second grant specifically targeted toward Fireman’s Beach improvements.  This follows the December 2013 award of a $400,000 grant from the State Department of Conservation and Natural Resources for related upgrades.

“This funding demonstrates the commonwealth’s commitment to the Conneaut Lake Borough revitalization project,” said Bill Eldridge, chairman of the Conneaut Lake Community Development Committee (CLCDC).  “Construction work will be scheduled to minimize disruption of summer beach activities and therefore may not begin until September 2015 or possibly spring of 2016.”

The Fireman’s Beach improvements are among a $20 million downtown Conneaut Lake revitalization project that the CLCDC reported could begin in October 2015.

No timetable has been set for how long it will take to complete the multi-year project, but with about $2.5 million already received in grant money, the CLCDC was confident about moving forward with the engineering phase of the project about two months ago.

The contract for the engineering design work has been awarded to E.G.&G., which is based in Ohio, Eldridge reported about two months ago.  The project includes major upgrades to Fireman’s Beach and the business district on Water Street and side streets from Ice House Park to Fourth Street in the borough.

Upgrades include improvements in the infrastructure of the business district, including stormwater management, underground utility lines, fixing sidewalks and curbs, and other such changes to not only improve the town aesthetic appeal, but also make it safer for pedestrians.

Conneaut Lake has also received a $75,000 National Endowment for the Arts Our Town grant, which is expected to produce a public art trail connecting the downtown business district to Ice House Park and Fireman’s Beach.  The grant was secured this past summer.

Also receiving a grant from the CCPP was Cambridge Springs Borough, which gets $40,000 for further development of Cambridge Area Recreation Park, including construction of a comfort station, installation of utilities, ADA access, landscaping and other site improvements.

The CCPP provides financial and technical assistance to local governments, land trusts, river and trail organizations and other nonprofit organizations for the planning, acquisition and development of park, recreation, conservation and greenway areas.

The Meadville Tribune
Monday, September 29, 2014

CONNEAUT LAKE  ̶  Conneaut Lake Middle School hosts an arts engagement event in collaboration with its Title 1 Reading program, Allegheny College and the Conneaut Lake Borough to gather community stories and share Conneaut Lake’s history.

“Celebrating Our Town’s Story through Art, History, Nature and Culture,” October 8 from 5 to 8 p.m. at the middle school, serves as the launch event for Conneaut Lake Borough’s National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Our Town grant, which results in a public art trail connecting the downtown business district to Ice House Park and Fireman’s Beach.

The event features presentations by Conneaut Lake Middle School students relating to Native American culture and local history, food prepared by Conneaut Area Senior High School culinary arts students, and several opportunities for residents to share stories of their life at Conneaut Lake.

Guest speaker David V. Hunt, founder of the Community Building Storytelling Project and nationally known community organizer, facilitates two interactive storytelling and listening workshops.  In these 90-minute workshops, participants have an opportunity to share three to five-minute stories about how the Conneaut Lake community has shaped their life’s journey, what they value most about Conneaut Lake and their hopes for their town’s future.

Beginning at 5:15 in the gym, participants in the community storytelling workshops share and record stories based on personal and community memorabilia.  Participants are invited to contribute their stories and objects (such as photos, books, tools and memorabilia) to a community time capsule, which will be created that evening.

At a follow-up workshop at Fireman’s Beach during summer 2015, the time capsule will be reopened and the objects and stories used in a community art event.  Participants who do not want to donate their objects may also have their objects scanned or photographed for inclusion in the time capsule.  All stories become part of a collection of community stories.

“We encourage year-round and summer residents of Conneaut Lake to  bring not only their stories but also objects related to those stories, if they have them,” said Amara Geffen, who is serving as the project’s lead artist.  “Community storytelling and community listening  ̶  exploring and sharing Conneaut Lake’s history through the lives of its residents  ̶  is at the heart of our NEA Our Town project.  These stories will also inform the design of the sculptures for the public art trail.”

Participants also have the opportunity to record shared conversations, modeled upon the nationally known StoryCorps project, about life in Conneaut Lake and to participate in interview sessions to record their individual stories.

Allegheny College students enrolled in two course that focus on community storytelling and public art will assist throughout the evening, interviewing residents, facilitating the recording of shared conversations, and leading hands-on arts activities to help gather community stories and images for the art trail.
To become more familiar with Conneaut Lake, the Allegheny College students visited the Conneaut Lake Historical Society, Fireman’s Beach, Ice House Park, the Central Downtown Business District and Conneaut Lake Park and also met with local resident Jack Dearing  and other community leaders for an introduction to local history.

The NEA’s Our Town program supports creative placemaking projects that contribute to the livability of communities and help transform them into lively, beautiful and sustainable places with the arts at their core.

The Meadville Tribune
By Jean Shanley
Saturday August 23, 2014

CONNEAUT LAKE  ̶  A traffic survey will be taken by using a video camera at traffic signals in Conneaut Lake Borough to get an accurate count of the cars traveling through the borough.

The purpose is to determine the traffic flow, information that will be used by the Conneaut Lake Community Development Committee as it moves forward to its planned revitalization for downtown Conneaut Lake.

Bill Eldridge, chairman of the committee, said at a recent Conneaut Lake Borough Council meeting, that after the traffic pattern is determined, recommendations may be made for parking in the borough.  He said current streets do not conform to the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation regulations, and streets may be widened in the revitalization effort.  However, he emphasized it has not yet been determined how that will affect parking on Water Street, which now has parking on both sides of the street.

Dick Holabaugh, council president, asked about on-street parking and if council will be involved in the discussion regarding parking.

Eldridge assured him council would be involved in the decision.
Eldridge also announced that the CLCDC has received its 501(c)(3) status, meaning tax-deductible donations may be made to the committee.  The purpose of the CLCDC is to revitalize and update the borough streets and infrastructure and improve the downtown area, thus encouraging economic growth.

Eldridge said those wishing to leave funds to the CLCDC in their will may do so.  He indicated it would be used for continued maintenance of the area after the work is done.  Donations may be made online at conneautlakerevitalization.com through PayPal, he said.

Holabaugh praised Eldridge for his handling of the town hall meeting the CLCDC recently held to update borough residents and others on the progress the committee has made regarding funding for its multi-year plan to improve the borough.

CLCDC recently announced several grants it has received for the project, and Eldridge said more are expected.

The Meadville Tribune
By Jean Shanley
Thursday, August 7, 2014

CONNEAUT LAKE ­ Construction of projects to revitalize downtown Conneaut Lake at the cost of about $20 million begins in October 2015.

No timetable has been set for how long it will take to complete the multi-year project, but with more than $2 million already received in grant money, the Conneaut Lake Community Development Committee (CLCDC) is confident about moving forward with the engineering phase of the project.

Bill Eldridge, chairman of the CLCDC, announced the construction starting date at the conclusion of a presentation updating community members on the progress of the ongoing revitalization project that started 2½ years ago.

Eldridge said the contract for the engineering design work has been awarded to E.G.&G., which is based out of Akron, Ohio.

The project includes major upgrades to Fireman’s Beach and the business district on Water Street and side streets from Ice House Park to Fourth Street in the borough.

Upgrades include improvements in the infrastructure of the business district, including stormwater management, underground utility lines, fixing sidewalks and curbs and other such changes to not only improve the town aesthetic appeal, but also make it safer for pedestrians.

Reviewing the work done by the CLCDC since the project was started in 2011, Eldridge said the committee of volunteers has been working diligently behind-the-scenes to obtain funding for the various improvements.

With more than $2 million in grants already pledged, Eldridge said the CLCDC has become more confident in receiving more funding because those who help fund projects like to continue to help provide funding in order to complete them, he said.

Phase One has an estimated cost of $6.6 million and thus far, the CLCDC has received grants and donations totaling $2,116,161 — including the most recent grant of $1 million from the federal government.

Reviewing the other grants, Eldridge said some have been designated for stormwater drainage on Water Street and others for curbing, sidewalk and utility line replacement.  A $400,000 grant from the state has been designated for work at Fireman’s Beach where boat docks, pedestrian walkways and other improvements are planned.

The next phase of the multi-year project is the engineering work.  Members of E.G.&G. will survey the streets until November to compile information needed for the design work with the final engineering documents to be finished by August 2015.

Bids for the work will then be accepted in September 2015.

Eldridge emphasized that economic development is one of the major components of the project to help the businesses throughout the area.

Asked by an audience member if union workers must do all work and prevailing wages must be paid, Ben Levenger, project manager for E.G.&G., said they need not hire union workers but that prevailing wages set by the government must be paid.

 Another question from the audience was whether funds from the Dietrich Foundation could be used toward the projects.  The Dietrich Foundation left more than $3 million to Conneaut Lake.  Bob Moss, one of the board members for the foundation, said funds are in the form of an endowment and that infrastructure work is not to be included.  The funds are to be used for historical, educational and cultural project, Moss said.

Noting the high volume of truck traffic through town, a question was asked if truck traffic could be rerouted during the construction phase.  Levenger said traffic lights would be programmed so heavy trucks could get through town a little faster during construction.

Jack Lynch, Crawford County commissioner, applauded the efforts of the CLCDC and said that people like Eldridge really make a difference when it comes to getting grants.

Lynch said the community support is considered important by those awarding grants ­ such as state and federal agencies ­ and said the donated time and effort by the volunteers in the CLCDC has been vital to the success of the project thus far.

The Meadville Tribune
By Konstantine Fekos
July 29, 2014

CONNEAUT LAKE — Conneaut Lake borough has been granted $1 million from the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration to help pay for infrastructure improvements in the central business district that are projected to increase business, tourism and jobs for local residents.

The announcement, issued Monday by U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker, described Conneaut Lake as a “robust business community” and “major regional tourist attraction” with the ability, given the necessary  support, to attract new businesses and amenities.

“The entire (Conneaut Lake Community Development Committee) is excited that the U.S. Department of Commerce agrees it’s a good investment,” said Bill Eldridge, CLCDC chairman and borough council member.  “It was a lot of work, putting this together.”  The CLCDC has spearheaded an effort to revitalize downtown Conneaut Lake and has applied for several grants as part of that work.  This is the second grant announced recently as the group also was awarded $75,000 from the National Endowment for the Arts through its Our Town Project to help develop a public art trail adjacent to the Water Street district.

The grant funding announced Monday could create roughly 78 jobs and generate about $950,000 a year in additional spending by tourists, based on input from local businesses — what Eldridge called a “real-world” estimate derived from the amount of money coming into the borough.

“A number of (businesses) agreed with our projection,” he said.  “With all those improvements in town, their businesses would gain.  They gave rough projections of potential increased employment if all the changes are actually made.”

Infrastructure improvements are expected to include replacement of old utility lines, sidewalk and curbing replacement, road paving, new crosswalk and traffic signal installation, storm drainage improvement and revitalization of Fireman’s Beach, Eldridge said. 

Time frames for upcoming construction and revitalization are yet unknown, Eldridge added, pending Conneaut Lake borough’s receipt of the grant contract.

“They just made the public announcement (Monday),” Eldridge said.  “Typically it’ll be two or three years we’ll have to use those funds.”

Previous grants received total about $1.4 million, excluding the EDA grant announced Monday, and the CLCDC has raised almost $150,000 in private contributions.

Pittsburgh Tribune Review (TribLive.com)
By Rick Wills
July 28, 2014

It has been nearly half a century since much of the infrastructure in Conneaut Lake borough received upgrades, municipal officials said.

So a $1 million federal grant from the Department of Commerce was announced on Monday will go a long way to finance the overhaul the borough is planning, officials there say.

“This is extremely important.  We have been in a deteriorating state for many years with infrastructure here,” said Mayor Timothy R. Kaider.

The borough is planning $6.5 million in upgrades, which also are being funded with $1.5 million in grants from the State Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, the State Department of Community and Economic Development and the National Endowment for the Arts.

Kaider said sidewalks, water pipes and sewers in the business district are out of date.  The Crawford County borough of about 650 people have no storm water drainage system.
“Tourism is our No. 1 industry, and these grants are a big help,” said Bill Eldridge, president of the Conneaut Lake Community Development Committee.

The Meadville Tribune
By Jean Shanley
Monday, July 21, 2014

Conneaut Lake — Conneaut Lake Community Development Committee will receive $75,000 from the National Endowment for the Arts through its Our Town Project.

Funds will be used for a variety of art projects designed to facilitate arts engagement and plans for a public art trail adjacent to the Water Street district.

Bill Eldridge, chairman of the CLCDC, and Amara Geffen, professor of art at Allegheny College and director of the Art and Environment Initiative of the Greater Meadville Area, are both excited and pleased about the grant.

“These funds will allow us to incorporate a community arts component into the revitalization plans for the Water Street and Fireman’s Beach,” Eldridge said.  He said the project is consistent with plans to make the town more attractive and to spur economic growth in the borough.

Geffen serves as lead artist for the grant and work with artists Steve Prince, Ian Thomas and ethnographer Emily Yochim, all colleagues at Allegheny College; and with an Allegheny College student who serves as an art apprentice during the summer of 2015.

Geffen said the project fosters livability throughout nature and culture and involves two common art engagement events for both year-round and summer residents at the lake.

Events will be used to gather community stories and images, which will be integrated into the design and improvement of a public art trail connecting Ice House Park and the central downtown business district to Fireman’s Beach, Geffen said.

“We envision a series of sculpture that will include the opportunity to actively listen to/view some of the stories gathered during arts engagements with special focus on the history and ecology of the lake,” she said.

The first arts engagement is Oct. 8 at Conneaut Lake Middle School in conjunction with its Title 1 Reading Program.  Geffen said the time is not definite yet, but she believes it will be between 5 to 8 p.m.  David B. Hunt, nationally known organizer, storyteller and founder of the Community Building Storytelling Project, will assist with the arts-engagement events, Geffen said.

The location for the sculpture and art trail is still to be determined, Eldridge said.

National Endowment for the Arts Chairman Jane Chu, who announced the plans to award grants, said Conneaut Lake is one of 66 grants awarded this year.  Grants totaled $5.073 million and reached 38 states.  Some 275 applications were received for the Our Town grant.

Chu said this year’s Our Town projects demonstrate that excellent art is as fundamental to a community’s success as land use, transportation, education, housing, infrastructure and public safety, helping build stronger communities that are diverse in geography and character.

She said the Our Town funds art-based community development project in a way that is authentic, equitable and augments existing local assets.  Since Our Town’s inception in 2011 and including this year, the NEA will have awarded 256 grants, totaling more than $21 million in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

“The Borough of Conneaut Lake demonstrates the best in creative community development and whose work will have a valuable impact on its community,” Chu said.  “Through Our Town funding, arts organizations continue to spark vitality that support neighborhoods and public spaces, enhancing a sense of place for residents and visitors alike.”

The grant is the latest in a series of grants received by the CLCDC for a multi-year revitalization project planned for Conneaut Lake, which includes improvements at Fireman’s Beach, infrastructure, underground utilities and other projects to improve life in the borough.

Previous grants received now total about $1.4 million, and the CLCDC has raised almost $150,000 in private contributions in its campaign for funds to be used for the community development and revitalization project.

In addition, applications already have been made for several grants totaling $5 million.  Other grant applications for another $2 million are being prepared, Eldridge said, noting that the project is an ongoing one.

Eldridge said work has already started on the revitalization with engineering work done in some areas and still being done in other areas.  When the engineering work is completed and designs for Water Street and the downtown area completed, another community meeting will be held to review the plans.

Eldridge said public reaction to the CLCDC’s proposals has been 99 percent positive, then adding, “How can it not be positive?”

One of the first projects in the overall plan to be done is the storm water drainage system on Water Street, which is presently inadequate or non-existent, Eldridge said.  That project will be done in phases so it will not shut down the business district.

Eldridge said work at Fireman’s Beach will be done in the off-season, not during the peak of the tourist season, but no date for that work has been set.  The storm water drainage system comes first.

He said the master plan looks at the whole town and the program will be ongoing for a long time.  Committee members welcome questions and feedback about the proposal and “for the most part, are getting it.”

The committee, headed by Eldridge, has 25 active members and meets the last Thursday of the month at 7 p.m. at the Conneaut Lake Borough Office.

The Meadville Tribune
By Keith Gushard
Saturday, June 21, 2014

More than $2.5 million in state funding is being sought by Crawford County to benefit Conneaut Lake’s downtown improvement project.

Crawford County commissioners Thursday unanimously approved the submission of two state multimodal funding grant requests for improvements along Route 322/Water Street in the borough.

Multimodal funding is to encourage economic development and ensure safe and reliable transportation systems, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED).

One grant would be through the state DCED for $1,445,020 while the other request is through the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation for $1,217,742, according to Amy Schmidt, grant administrator for the Crawford County Planning Office.

Schmidt said the amounts are higher than originally discussed at Tuesday’s commissioner work session due to further review of engineering estimates.

If the grants are obtained, the borough of Conneaut Lake will provide 30 percent in local matching funds.  The local money for the matching will be able to come out of more than $900,000 in other grants Conneaut Lake has obtained previously, Schmidt said.

Conneaut Lake Borough Council and Conneaut Lake Community Development Committee are trying to revitalize the borough’s downtown business district.

If obtained, the grant would be used along Water Street and the Fireman’s Beach area for street improvements including new curbs, sidewalks and crosswalks.

The Meadville Tribune
Wednesday, June 18, 2014

The Crawford County Planning Commission announced plans Tuesday to apply for more than $2 million in grant funding on behalf of Conneaut Lake Borough for its downtown revitalization project, still progressing since its inception about three years ago.

The grant request is broken down into the following:  one multimodal grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation for $869,816 and one multimodal from the state Department of Community and Economic Development for $1,435,172, said Amy Schmidt, grant administrator, at the Crawford County commissioners’ work session Tuesday morning.

Multimodal funding is provided to encourage economic development and ensure safe and reliable systems of transportation are available to residents of the commonwealth, according to the DCED.

Tuesday’s announcement shows continued backing from the county in the effort by Conneaut Lake Borough Council and Conneaut Lake Community Development Committee to revitalize the borough’s downtown business district.

If obtained, the grant would be used along areas such as Fireman’s Beach and Water Street on initiatives that include installing new curbing, sidewalks and crosswalk installations, said Bill Eldridge, council member and CLCDC member.

Conneaut Lake has already received more than $900,000 in grants for its community revitalization project, according to earlier reports. 

Project information is available online at newconneautlake.com.

The Meadville Tribune
By Jean Shanley
Tuesday, June 17, 2014

CONNEAUT LAKE — Borough Council at its recent meeting approved a resolution seeking a Greenways grant in conjunction with the Conneaut Lake Community Development Committee’s revitalization project for downtown Conneaut Lake.

It’s another in a series of grants being sought for improvements at Conneaut Lake, including infrastructure and updates at Fireman’s Beach.

In related news, the council awarded a contract to E.G.&G. for engineering work in conjunction with the improvements. 

E.G.&G. was the only bidder for the contract, according to Dick Holabaugh, president of borough council.