"Upgrades" to Hyner Launch area

[brianvh]

This is a letter from Shawn Macduff - he and the board narrowly averted complete catastrophe, but Memorial Day will be the last chance you'll have to see Hyner anywhere close to the way it has looked for 40 years.

--------
DCNR has big plans for the view including new restrooms, additional (paved) parking lots, and landscaping this summer. The new interim manager at Little Pine State Park was nice enough to send us the drawing last Friday of the upgrade and DCNR was planning to cut every tree from the parking lot to the wall and add shrubs on both sides of the tree line. According to the drawing, they allowed us room to access the wooden ramp on the left side but no room to access the main launch. This plan was been on the drawing board for years but details were never discussed before. We heard about the new restrooms but not the full extent of the landscaping until now. Work was supposed to start last week but has thankfully has been delayed due to equipment and supply issues. The plan was to cut all the trees down first, re-soil, and seed and add shrubs to take advantage of the growing season and then begin work on the restrooms and parking.

We voiced our opinion last Friday about both issues including the loss of all the trees in the set-up area that are used for both sun and wind shade. At first, the interim manager said the wheels were already in motion and that she wouldn’t be able to stop the cutting if she could. We next spoke with the gentleman in Harrisburg who was helpful in drafting the new SAA with the club and it just so happens that his desk is not too far from the landscape architect who drew-up the plans and he told him of our concerns. Now, DCNR has just informed us that they are halting the cutting of all the trees in the set-up area and will focus only on the trees near the restrooms and parking lot to prepare for construction. We plan on meeting with DCNR over the holiday weekend to decided which trees to save and which ones (dead or dying) should go in the set-up area.

Construction is scheduled to start tomorrow and will finish by July. The contractor will be told tomorrow to suspend work next Wednesday or Thursday to allow us and spectators access to the view over the weekend.

I’ll pass along more info when I can about the status of the upgrade.