A Conneaut Lake businesswoman is calling on Crawford County Court of Common Pleas Judge Anthony Vardaro or the state to intervene quickly and help preserve Conneaut Lake Park as a “destination point” for tourism in the county.
Wanda Ramaley took her plea to the steps of the Crawford County Courthouse at noon Tuesday in an effort to attract media and public attention to the plight of Conneaut
Lake-area businesses.
Ramaley, owner of Stable Pit & Pub restaurant on the east side of the lake, was joined by Dick James, another
area resident, in her call for help.
She is asking the state to provide money to the Trustees of Conneaut Lake Park Inc. to purchase liability insurance to allow the park’s free act lawn to be used for festivals, and for swimming in the lake to be permitted.
If the state refuses, she is asking the state attorney general to request Vardaro to “break (dissolve) the charitable trust” and release the trustees from the legal requirements under the trust.
Under a deed from 1997 from former owner Gary Harris, the park must remain available for “public access to and use of Conneaut Lake and the lake shore, for swimming, and boating and the like” forever.
The trustees announced last week, however, that swimming is now off-limits because they can’t get liability insurance to cover it.
The 116-year-old amusement park did not open in 2007 after the previous court-appointed manager said there wasn’t money to open that year after a proposed sale of property was denied. A new board of trustees was appointed, taking over in mid-summer, but didn’t launch the amusement rides.
The Beach Club was in operation for about 10 weeks. Hotel Conneaut opened for a brief time until a zoning officer from Sadsbury Township said its fire escape wasn’t safe.
When the board of trustees attempted to secure insurance this year to cover swimming off the beach at the park, no insurance company would write a policy. The board then announced the ban on swimming this summer.
Reviewing a news article from several years ago when Lt. Gov. Catherine Baker Knoll visited Conneaut Lake Park, Ramaley quoted portions of it when Baker Knoll talked about the importance of preserving the park for the future.
“We are asking for them (the state) to pay the insurance premium. People still love the place. We don’t want to give up on it,” Ramaley said, asking the lieutenant governor to follow through with her comments and provide some funding.
It’s not just preserving the history of the once-flourishing amusement park. “It’s preserving the present,” Ramaley said. Her idea is to allow the use of the free act lawn for festivals to attract people to Conneaut Lake and allow the site to be preserved “until we get to the next phase,” she added, referring to what future plans the trustees may have for the park.
Ramaley emphasized her comments are in no way critical of the board, noting it’s doing all it can with no money.
“The board has its hands full. We need to preserve tourism for the present,” she said, noting if something isn’t done — and done quickly — “there will be no future for the businesses.”
She said the park is needed because there is no other venue at the lake that can accommodate the larger crowds that big festivals attract.
Noting her business saw a decline of 20 percent in 2007 from 2006, Ramaley said she isn’t alone, saying other small businesses are facing the same problem.
Ramaley said there are 100 business members of Conneaut Lake Area Business Association and they are affected by the lack of tourists going to the lake.
She believes by having the free act lawn and various festivals there, the park can once again “be a destination point” for people from Pittsburgh, Cleveland and Erie.
She reasons that Pennsylva-nia has to be losing taxable income from area businesses. Thus, it’s incumbent upon the state to intervene and provide financial help to the trustees. In the long run, not only does the area benefit — but the state will see some return from its investment in taxes generated.
“We want the state to recognize we really need help,” she stressed, emphasizing the need for the involvement — as quickly as possible.
Jane Smith can be reached at 724-6370 or by e-mail at jsmith@meadvilletribune.com.
