Community cuts ribbon on walkway project 20 years in the making
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MILL HALL -- A project years in the making, and involved a Herculean effort from the community, was celebrated this week despite some gloomy weather.
The stormy weather held out on Friday morning for a ribbon cutting for the newly created walkway which connects the City of Lock Haven and Riverview Park.
The event began with Robert O. Rolley, Jr., a volunteer, giving a timeline of events that led to this walkway finally coming to fruition and recognizing individuals who have supported the project along the way.
"This is about building pride in our community. Every time you've sealed the parking lot, improved the restrooms, you do projects along this beautiful public infrastructure, you build pride and community. Everybody here has had a part directly and indirectly in this wonderful walkway project," said Rolley.
He listed by name many people who were both in attendance and those who could not be there including representatives of PennDOT; Clearwater Construction; the Woodward Township Board of Supervisors; Woodward Township Municipal Authority; Woodward Township Recreation Committee; Suburban Water Authority; Clinton County Economic Partnership; Clinton County; City of Lock Haven; 76th District State Rep. Stephanie Borowicz; Cindy Kunes representing U.S. Rep. Glenn Thompson and Brandy Reiter representing 25th District State Sen. Cris Dush.
"It's important to mention the timeline (so I) can name a lot of people who over 20 plus years had a direct and major impact on keeping this going and getting this done," said Rolley.
The levee was dedicated in 1994. At the same time, Woodward Township began to develop, with a large DCNR grant and other funds, the venue that would come to be known as Riverview Park -- named by students at Woodward Elementary School.
The supervisors at the time, Bill Baker, Jim Bressi and Chuck Rine were fully behind the project.
Township crew members Craig Yarnell and the late Jeff Yarnell built pavilions with general contractor Charles Construction Company; students in the Central Mountain High School vocational-technical class built the park restroom and using grant funds Civilian Conservation Corps crews built small pavilions.
The Clinton County Economic Partnership's Transportation Committee, led by Dan Harger, conceived a plan to re-align and widen Farrandsville Road out to the Lock Haven University Athletic Fields.
"Dan Harger (is) a man of great vision. Vision is an important thing to have, and a gentleman like Dan and the vision he has brought to this county is so priceless for us all," said Rolley.
Harger and the committee lobbied PennDOT to give the project priority; he and Pete Lopes repeatedly testified at State Transportation Committee hearings until PennDOT agreed to put the Farrandsville Road project on the 12 year plan.
A couple of years later in 2003-04, the Woodward Township Recreation Committee consisting of Rolley, Marie Self, Craig Keen, Rick and Karen Houseknecht, Bruce and Cathy Peddie, Brenda Dunlap, Bob Lugg, Randy berry, Terry Szucs, Jeanne and Chuck Shade and Chris Birdsey lobbied then-supervisors Bressi, Rine and Clyde Glossner to support the project -- particularly the walkway to the park.
"They said, 'you raise the local share, we'll put in some money.' We went to the county at the time, and they agreed to do that. We planned to work with DCNR on a grant. It really gave the project some priority from a local standpoint. Dan and crew kept the project alive," said Rolley.
Though Harger and the others kept pursuing the project, other more important road and bridge projects gained attention and funding, including an interchange at Route 220, Auction Road and Fairground Road. Project expectations rose after the state increased the wholesale gasoline tax between 2010-11.
"Nothing happened as a result of that. There was more funding, but other priorities began to win out. PennDOT kept the project alive," said Rolley.
He specifically noted PennDOT Transportation Engineer Vicki Rusnack who helped keep the project alive at the SEDA-COG Metropolitan Planning Organization meetings for District 2.
"She played an integral role in this project as time went on. PennDOT engineers kept drawing up plans -- this was going to be a winding project up to the athletic fields. They narrowed their focus as time went on," said Rolley.
In 2017, the concept of a Multimodal Transportation Grant was discussed as an option by then-supervisors Kyle Coleman, Glossner and Brian Hoy.
Early 2018 found supervisors Wayne Love, Coleman and Hoy announcing they'd meet with Rusnak, former County Planner Katie de Silva and others to pursue the grant for the walkway. Recreation committee members continued to raise money at riverfest.
Towards the end of 2018, the supervisors voted to pursue a $175,000 Multimodal grant and match it with $75,000 for improvements to Croak Hollow Road.
"(The road) goes up through the mountain over to Swissdale and it's the detour for this project. That, in some ways, satisfied PennDOT's concerns. That was successful, and Cindy Love wrote that grant. That gave the project that last umph," said Rolley.
Later, the grant was approved and PennDOT narrowed the scope of the project to focus specifically on road realignment and the installation of the walkway.
The township Municipal Authority and Suburban Water Authority come up with money for sewer and water line replacement.
PennDOT held an open house to announce bids for the project in December 2021, with bids taken in spring 2022.
Clearwater Construction won the contract for the project and began to clear trees and prepare the riverbank in the summer of 2022.
In June 2024, the project was finally completed. The new walkway connects the township's 13-acre Riverview Park to Veterans Bridge and thus to the 2.25-mile Riverwalk on the levee in the City of Lock Haven.
"I asked Art (Hawksworth of Clearwater Construction) if he wanted to speak, and he said, 'I'd rather the project speak for itself.' And he's right," said Rolley.
After Rolley gave a timeline of the project and offered a heartfelt "thank you" to everyone who has been involved and attended, representatives of Sucevic, Piccolomini & Kuchar Engineering, Inc. took to the microphone.
"We were very pleased to be part of this project from the beginning. It was interesting, I spoke to so many people I remember being involved early on, and they're retired. A few more years and I'll be in that category as well," joked Perry Schweiss.
"We're very pleased to be part of this important enhancement for the community. I want to commend Clearwater, (they) did a beautiful job. This (project) did go through several iterations... It's a beautiful project," continued Schweiss.
"It was an honor being part of this project for the past 20 years. It turned out beautiful," said David Piccolomini.
Current Supervisor Kyle Coleman also spoke, thanking everyone for attending the ceremony.
"I'm glad Bob brought the history lesson into this project. That reminded me about Croak Hollow. Cindy planted the seed about this grant... We ran with it since then and leveraged this project to bump up the emergency need for that road," said Coleman.
Coleman expressed his appreciation for everyone who helped make the project possible.
"Safety was a huge factor with (the walkway) project. I remember walking from my riverlot down to the Regatta being a younger guy. We'd be bailing over the guardrail that used to be here and ducking behind trees because you didn't know if a car was going to hit you. There was virtually no room to walk along here. It's beautiful (now.) It looks way better at night when it's all lit up. As much of an inconvenience as it was for the locals, it turned out and was worth it in the end," said Coleman.
Rolley welcomed everyone in attendance to pile behind the ribbon to share in the joy of the snip.
"You came, you care, let's do it," said Rolley.
Harger, Clinton County Economic Partnership Transportation Committee Chair, was asked to cut the ribbon, surrounded by all those in attendance.