Making recreational facilities at Leaser Lake accessible to every person who wishes to fish or kayak is the goal of the Leaser Lake Heritage Foundation and the many donors and volunteers who support the organization’s charitable goals.
On Saturday, Oct. 24, following a fund-raising 5k run, exciting new Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant facilities were dedicated at the lake’s Accessible Recreation Area.
The lake, owned and operated by the Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission, has recently seen its waters running over the spillway of its dam for the first time since 1999 when the lake was drained due to a leak in the dam. The Leaser Lake Heritage Foundation has been working diligently for more than a decade to get the dam repaired and the only public lake in Lehigh County restored and made available again for public use.
More than 500 acres of park land surrounds the 120 acre lake. While the County of Lehigh owns some of these acres, most of it is leased by the county from the state and is part of the county’s extensive park system. The park and lake are nestled next to the Blue Mountain and enjoy a phenomenal variety of bird species, reportedly the largest in the region.
A few years ago, the Leaser Lake Heritage Foundation mounted a campaign to make one of the three access areas on the lake accessible to those with disabilities (or to those just with bad knees or hips). The Kempton and Ontelaunee Lions clubs got enthused about the project and raised about $7,500. The Kempton club made application to two foundations, the Lions Clubs International Foundation and the Lions of Pennsylvania Foundation, which contributed $44,500 and $5,000 respectively to the project. Among the four Lions Club organizations, enough money was raised (about $57,000) to purchase an accessible fishing pier and an accessible kayak “launcher.” The latter device makes the transition from a wheelchair into a kayak easier and safer than struggling to do so from the shoreline or a dock. But an able-bodied person who struggles with accessing a kayak would also benefit from the device.
At the dedication, which was attended by about 60 people, presentations were made by George White, the president of the Leaser Lake Heritage Foundation; Tom Kerr, a foundation trustee and chair of the Kempton Lions Club’s Leaser Lake Project; Ken Snyder, district governor of Lions Club District 14-P; Sgt. Jeff Sabo of the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission; and Lehigh County Executive Tom Muller.
The ceremonial ribbon was cut by Bob Amelio of the Lehigh Valley Center for Independent Living. Bob, who is wheelchair bound, helped to design the two floating devices.
Mike White was the first to demonstrate the kayak launcher, getting himself with relative ease from his wheelchair, into a kayak, and out onto Leaser Lake. Others followed Mike with similar success in kayaks provided by Leaser Lake Boats, Bikes & Bait, a nearby rental business. In addition, fishers in wheelchairs could be seen on the nearby fishing pier, which was also designed for easy access by those with disabilities.
The two devices were designed and constructed by Board Safe in Topton, Pennsylvania. Scott Tihansky, president of the company, was present to be certain everything was in order. Modifications to the design of the kayak launcher have continued until as recently as 12 hours before its dedication as this remains a work in progress. Scott and his crew have been dedicated and focused on the development and completion of this project, but are interested in learning what additional modifications are needed as the units are put to use.
Lions Clubs International is the largest service organization in the world. Its motto is “We Serve,” and its efforts are aimed at aiding those in need around the globe. The interest of the four Lions Club entities involved in this project (Kempton Lions Club, Ontelaunee Lions Club, Lions of Pennsylvania Foundation and Lions Clubs International Foundation) furthers this goal. The Lions’ hope is that these units soon will be found in locations around the continent and perhaps around the world.
Local and regional user groups whose constituents are wheelchair bound are beginning to line up to use the new facilities. Any questions about the facility should be directed to the Leaser Lake Heritage Foundation. The foundation does not control the use of the facilities; they are part of the Lehigh County Park system, but the volunteers there may be able to assist and inform about its use. An attractive, three-paneled kiosk was designed, built, and installed on site as an Eagle Scout project by Eagle Scout Luke White.
In addition to the pier and the launcher, the Leaser Lake Heritage Foundation has garnered funds from generous donors, such as Cabela’s, New Tripoli Bank and Nestle, to create a 1,000 foot ADA-compliant paved pathway at the site, install five large accessible picnic tables and install a 50 foot bridge to span the new spillway on the dam. When installed in 2016, the bridge will complete the rugged four-mile loop trail that surrounds the lake which walkers, runners and bikers are already finding irresistible.