Bruce Parkhurst
TIONESTA, Pa. – The planning process for a revised 25-year Master Plan for Tionesta Lake and parts of Tionesta Creek was officially launched on July 7 by the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), with a public meeting at the Bridge Street TVFD Social Hall.
USACE rangers and officers were pleased with the turnout, which included dozens of people from Tionesta as well as the northwest PA region.
Four focus areas are now open for comment, for 30 days: environmental stewardship, cultural/historical resources, public safety, and recreation. Folded into the planning process will be a National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) review.
People have until Tuesday, Aug. 8 to submit comments about what they value in this community asset, questions they might have about plan revisions, changes they would like to see, improvements they would recommend, and problems they would like the planning process to address. Not up for comment are issues involving water quality, water flow & flood risk management, nor USACE staffing and operations.
Many comments arose in the course of the meeting. Someone reported that they noticed a decrease in birds and birdsong in the area. Several people mentioned light pollution and noise affecting the enjoyment of this beautiful natural asset. Someone asked about how business proposals could be incorporated. Another asked about charging stations for electric vehicles. The USACE response to all of these was: Yes! Please include all your comments large and small.
Concerning the online Public Comment Tool, they said that if you see a comment you agree with, add your voice by seconding the comment. Don’t assume duplication is discouraged! They also said that the Public Comment Tool can be a way to report problems. Finally, USACE reminds everyone about their Tionesta Lake Facebook page on social media, at facebook.com/TionestaLakeUSACE.
Because USACE is building on the existing plan, a great place to start is to familiarize yourself with the 1999 Master Plan, which is available for review in Tionesta at the:
· Tionesta Lake Project Office (477 Spillway Road)
· Sarah Stewart Bovard Memorial Library (156 Elm Street) and the
· Tionesta Recreation Area Entrance Station (1206 Beach Road).
You can also find out more about the Tionesta Lake project at https://www.lrp.usace.army.mil/Missions/Recreation/Lakes/Tionesta-Lake/
Comments can be submitted online by Aug. 8 (search ”Tionesta Lake – Public Comment Tool”): https://lrp.maps.arcgis.com/apps/CrowdsourceReporter/index.html?appid=5c9698bcdda848d4af6011b804d4f8c1
or send comments to [email protected]
Alternatively, you can mail comments to:
US Army Corps of Engineers, Comments
477 Spillway Rd
Tionesta, PA 16353
