Sept. 22 Public Meeting On Ryerson Station State Park, Greene County

Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Secretary Cindy Adams Dunn Thursday announced that the department will hold an open house on September 22 to begin to talk with local residents about plans for the future of Ryerson Station State Park in Greene County.

DCNR, along with the Re-Vision Ryerson Station State Park Task Force, is working to determine what features are possible at the park to restore opportunities for local residents and visitors to enjoy the outdoors.

"Public input and participation is essential to this process and we have been impressed by the ideas so far and the willingness from community members to see the park in a different way," Dunn said. "Outdoor recreation has so many benefits to our communities and economy, and we want those opportunities to exist for residents and visitors in Greene County."

Duke Lake at Ryerson Station State Park was drawn down in July 2005 for safety reasons after inspections of the dam revealed seepage and dam foundation movement.

Replacement of a dam that created the lake is currently not possible because of continued ground movement and an unstable foundation, resulting in the department withdrawing its permit application to rebuild the structure.

On August 19, a task force made up of state and local officials and stakeholders met to discuss the project. The group, originally the Duke Lake Task Force, renamed itself the Re-Vision Ryerson Station State Park Task Force.

Harry Gillispie, a co-chairman of the task force, said "The task force is eager to begin re-envisioning the park and building new attractions at Ryerson. We are working on a new approach to make the park attractive to bring residents back outdoors to the park, and attract visitors."

Gillispie noted that items such as building hiking and biking trails, updating the campgrounds, and improving the pool may be able to be completed in the shorter term, while ideas such as stream restoration and restoring fish habitat and access could be longer term efforts.

The meeting on September 22 will be held from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. and from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. at the West Greene Middle-Senior High School Auditorium. There will be short presentations at 4:30 and 7:00 p.m., and the opportunity for citizens to circulate to information stations and talk with DCNR staff about options and ideas.

A facilitator is assisting with the re-visioning process that will include public surveys and additional meetings.

In April 2013, DCNR and Consol Energy, Inc. settled a lawsuit related to the impact of longwall mining in the area on the dam. According to settlement terms, the Commonwealth has no additional recourse against Consol for any movement or destabilization of the dam.

Since the settlement payment was not restricted to only rebuilding the dam, DCNR has the opportunity to use the settlement money to do other things in the park.

The allocation for dam reconstruction was estimated at about $25 million. That amount has been encumbered through the capital budget process. DCNR is working to ensure it can be used for other infrastructure projects at Ryerson Station State Park.

Ryerson Station State Park has a swimming pool; rustic camping and camping cottages; environmental education programs in the summer; is open for hunting; and provides lots of winter activities.

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