Glade Run Lake to be restored by 2017

April 22, 2014 Last Updated: April 23, 2014 02:17 PM Digital Media Exclusive

Gov. Tom Corbett, center, speaks with county and state officials today at the Glade Run Lake news conference at the lake in Middlesex Township. Corbett was on hand to announce the lake will be restored and ready for boating and fishing by 2017.

MIDDLESEX TWP — Gov. Tom Corbett this morning braved the unseasonably chilly temperatures at the empty Glade Run Lake 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 toward the more than $4 million needed to rebuild the faulty dam and to refill the 52-acre lake, which was deemed a safety hazard in 2002 and drained in 2011.

The state Fish and Boat Commission will pitch in $2 million from funds it receives through taxes in the recent state transportation law.

The remaining funds will be provided by the county, the township and the Glade Run Lake Conservancy, which has raised $300,000 for the lake's restoration.

Corbett, state Sens. Randy Vulakovich, Don White and Scott Hutchinson; 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 will be 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 conservancy 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.”

Glade Run Lake Conservancy President Siggy Pehel speaks to the crowd during the news conference this morning. A jubilant group was on hand to hear the news they've been waiting to hear: Glade Run Lake will be rebuilt in 2016 and ready for fishing and boating in 2017.

State Sen. Randy Vulakovich, R-40th, addresses the crowd gathered at Glade Run Lake in Middlesex Township. The lawmaker was one of many state and county officials on hand at the announcement.

Gov. Tom Corbett announces that Glade Run Lake will be rebuilt in 2016 and be ready for fishing by 2017 during a news conference this morning at the lake in Middlesex Township. The state will kick in $2 million toward the more than $4 million project.