Jun 29, 2018 3 min read

Those at Ryerson Station State Park Saturday will have a chance to voice their thoughts on the future of the park during the 12th annual Dryerson Festival.

Hosted by the Center for Coalfield Justice, the event will include mock-ups of plans for the park to seek feedback from the community. Veronica Coptis, the group’s director, said that personnel from the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources will be in attendance.

The event runs from 1 to 4 p.m. at Pavilion Three. Festivities begin with a hike before the festival with Coptis at 11:30 a.m., which will cover the history of the park, efforts to protect water sources and a re-envisioned Ryerson. Registration for the hike is required.

Those attending can expect picnic food, live music and games for adults and children. There will also be door prizes and reusable bamboo forks for people to take home in an effort to minimize waste. Participants are asked to bring their own reusable bottle for drinks.

Plans for Ryerson have been ongoing for the past three years, with work already underway for some of the improvements that will address the loss of Duke Lake. Major elements include the park campground, a new swimming pool and spray park, and restoration of the stream within the former lake bed, including the possible development of several ponds. Projects are expected to be completed in phases, the first of which is this summer.

Park manager Alan Johnson said the campground is currently closed for upcoming work. Three cottages are being built, the road in the campground area is being resurfaced and a shower house with modern flush facilities is being constructed.

Some of the electric campsites will also be converted to full hookup with water and sewage.

Johnson said that development for the new swimming pool is ongoing with final designs and permitting. Though this summer’s pool opening at the park has been delayed due to a lack of lifeguards, Johnson said the changes should help with that. Finding enough lifeguards has been a frequent problem at Ryerson, at times causing the closure of the pool throughout the week and a shortened swimming season.

The spray park can be opened without a lifeguard because there is no standing water, Johnson said. Park staff can operate and monitor that equipment themselves.

“That’s one of the reasons we wanted to incorporate the spray park,” Johnson said.

Work on the rest of the park, including the former lake bed, is ongoing. Those interested in seeing the early concept plans can do so at Saturday’s festival.

To register for the pre-festival hike, call the Center for Coalfield Justice at 724-229-3550.