It’s time to reinvent Ryerson State Park
The bombshell news announced July 24 that Duke Lake would not be restored is a devastating blow to Greene County.
Generations of families traveled to Ryerson Station State Park since it opened in 1967 and enjoyed its many amenities, including the pristine lake many visitors considered the centerpiece of the park in Richhill Township.
But the park hasn’t been the same since Duke Lake was drained a decade ago after cracks state officials believe were caused by nearby long-wall mining were found in the concrete dam.
The number of visitors who travel to the park annually cratered since the lake was lost in July 2005, but there was hope in recent years the lake could be restored after the state reached a $36 million settlement with Consol Energy to rebuild the dam.
Unfortunately, the public learned last month the ground continues to shift near the dam, and experts expect that to continue for many more years, making it a futile and foolhardy effort to ever rebuild the dam.
Duke Lake is gone forever.
Let that soak in for a moment …
Now, it’s time to get to work.
It’s been 10 years since Ryerson was a viable option as a summer retreat to visitors. Let’s not wait another 10 years allowing Ryerson to whither away and lose another generation of children.
The decision announced last month by the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources to forgo rebuilding the lake – as upsetting as it might be – is the correct one. There must be a viable proposal implemented immediately to re-envision and reinvent Ryerson Station so it does not become an afterthought in the minds of the community.
Some early ideas include hiking and biking trails, an expanded pool and even several smaller fishing ponds in the center of where Duke Lake once stood. That last idea might be the most promising attraction and could be built to mimic the popular man-made Eighty Four Lakes, which is a popular fishing spot for anglers in Washington County.
These ponds would be free, however, and they could become a pivot point for parents teaching their children how to fish while enjoying a picnic later in the afternoon.
There are viable options for Ryerson Station State Park even without Duke Lake.
But the only way any plan has even a miniscule chance of success is if the community puts aside its nostalgic feeling toward Duke Lake and tells the state exactly what recreation options it wants. The DCNR is currently putting together a plan to re-envision what Ryerson Station should become now and that should be the priority for Greene County residents.
Harry Gillespie, a co-chairman of the Duke Lake Task Force that began in 2005, is eager to hear feedback from the community and “get the ball rolling.”
Speaking about the future of the park in Sunday’s edition of the Observer-Reporter, he envisions a bike trail along the lake’s perimeter so a mother can push an infant in a stroller while another child steadies himself on a bike learning to ride with training wheels. Just a few feet away, there could be a father and son casting their lines into one of the freshly stocked ponds fed by a small stream.
There are options to make this once-popular state park great again.
Will the new plan and fresh ideas reignite Ryerson Station State Park? No one knows for sure, but it certainly won’t happen unless the community brings forward to the table the same passion it once held for the park.
The book on Duke Lake is closed. That doesn’t mean Ryerson’s story is over. It’s time to write the next chapter.