CONNEAUT LAKE, Pa. — On Friday, Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Secretary Cindy Adams Dunn joined Crawford County Commissioners and borough officials in the dedication of major state-supported renovations at Fireman’s Beach Park in Conneaut Lake, Crawford County.

(Photo courtesy Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources)

“Conneaut Lake is among the growing list of communities we’ve invested in across Pennsylvania that showcases how local parks and recreation opportunities contribute to a higher quality of life and attract and sustain employers and families,” Dunn said. “Local parks provide close-to-home nature and recreation that is always free or affordable. I commend the borough and its partners for working tirelessly with us to enhance this local asset.”

Facilitated by a $775,000 investment awarded by DCNR, improvements to the borough’s public park include a boat launch and ramp, docks, slips, pedestrian walkways, rain gardens, and other new features.

“Fireman’s Beach has been truly transformed into a vibrant Community Park that connects our downtown business district with the people who are unwinding at the beach and on the lake,” said Conneaut Lake Development Committee’s Bill Eldridge.

Officially dedicated with a ribbon-cutting ceremony with project partners on the shores of the borough’s namesake, Conneaut Lake, the park project incorporated elements of green infrastructure with the installation of storm-water management, rain gardens and tree plantings, all supported by DCNR.

Specifically, park improvements included construction of a new boat launch and ramp, docks, boat slips, pedestrian walkways, parking area and access drive. Erection of an extinct wooly mammoth sculpture was enhanced by storm-water management features, rain gardens, ADA accessibility features, landscaping, new signage, and other related site improvements.

Encompassing almost 930 acres, Conneaut Lake is the largest natural, glacial lake in the state. With a depth of up to 60 feet and a wide variety of underwater structure and fish species, the lake is popular with boaters and anglers, who access the water at the Fireman’s Beach Park ramp and another provided by the Pa. Fish and Boat Commission.