LOCAL

Trail work begins at McKean Conservation Area. A shelter is in place, fishing platform delayed

Dana Massing
Erie Times-News

What was once a gravel pit and is now a conservation area is moving closer to becoming a public place for picnics, walking, fishing, bird watching and more.

A shelter with four picnic tables was already put up and work was taking place in September on the first trail at the McKean Conservation Area, 8448 Peffer Road.

"It's really a beautiful area for a walking path," McKean Township Supervisor Janice Dennis said.

A picnic pavilion, left, is part of the improvements to the McKean Conservation Area, 8448 Peffer Road. At back right is equipment being used to create the first of several trails planned for the area that includes almost 90 acres in McKean and Fairview townships. The area was photographed Sept. 12, 2022, on a morning that trail work wasn't taking place.

Phase one of an improvement project finally got underway this summer and should be ready for the public to enjoy in the summer of 2023, Dennis said. But officials aren't certain how long it could be before all six phases are completed on the nearly 90 acres near Elk Creek in McKean and Fairview townships.

"This is just the beginning stages of everything," Dennis said.

About 43 acres of the conservation area are owned by McKean Township, although 27 of those acres are located in Fairview Township, Dennis said. The other 45 acres, with 15 in McKean and 30 in Fairview, are owned by the Lake Erie Region Conservancy, a nonprofit land trust that promotes cooperation between landowners, government agencies, educational institutions, the private sector and volunteers in an effort to protect and manage the Lake Erie region's natural resources.

This map of the McKean Conservation Area and six phases of improvements is included in a 2016 master plan by Pashek Associates. The top portion shows property owned by McKean Township, where the improvements are starting. The bottom shows Lake Erie Region Conservancy property. The intersection of West and Peffer roads is at the upper right and Elk Creek is along the left. Fairview Township is on the left and McKean Township on the right.

Dave Skellie, president of the LERC board, said the conservancy-owned land includes wetlands and woods. The property owned by McKean Township, which is where the improvements are starting, has woods along the bluff to Elk Creek as well as open space, he said. There is also a township storage building there.

"This is a beautiful piece of property," Skellie said.

While located in McKean and Fairview, the conservation area and its trails will be open to all, Dennis said.

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Big plans for the area

Dennis said McKean Township has had help from Pennsylvania Sea Grant in planning and applying for grants for the improvements.

A master plan for the McKean Conservation Area was completed in 2016 by Pashek Associates. It is available on the township's website and on Sea Grant's site, although Dennis said some information, such as the estimated cost of the improvements, is out of date. The 2016 master plan estimated construction costs to implement all the improvements at $1.5 million. Recognizing that few communities and organizations could cover the cost of so much at once, the plan suggested six phases.

Plans ultimately call for the McKean Conservation Area to feature at least 10 trails/loops including accessible, natural surface and boardwalk paths; trails signs; trailside seating; trailhead kiosks; interpretive signs; bus and vehicle parking areas; an accessible fishing platform on Elk Creek; a "comfort station"; and the picnic shelter with tables.

"This plan identifies a lot of options/potential opportunities for the site but neither the township nor LERC are obligated to complete any of the improvements other than what is being undertaken currently," said Tom Cermak, local project coordinator for the McKean improvements and a coastal outreach specialist with Pennsylvania Sea Grant. "It is my hope that both of these organizations will be able to pick away at the items they find valuable over time."  

An accessible trail under construction is shown Sept. 12, 2022, at the McKean Conservation Area off Peffer Road. The trail is the first of several planned for the nearly 90 acres in McKean and Fairview townships that are owned by McKean Township and the Lake Erie Region Conservancy.

Pennsylvania Sea Grant became involved because its mission is to promote the sustainability of Pennsylvania's ecological and economic coastal and watershed resources through science-based research, education and outreach, Cermak said. "Within the Pennsylvania Lake Erie watershed, Pennsylvania Sea Grant works with private landowners and partnering organizations to undertake projects that increase public access to the region's aquatic resources," he said. 

Cermak said the McKean Conservation Area improvements project has received three grants: $173,000 from the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Community Conservation Partnership Program in 2018; $154,901 from the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Erie Access Improvement Program in 2016; and $20,000 from the Erie County Greenways Program in 2016.

He didn't want to estimate what the total cost of the improvements might be now due to fluctuations in the price of material and labor since the master plan was completed in 2016.

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Plans were scaled back when bids came in

Dennis said the township anticipated using the initial grant money to do both phases one and two when bids were sought this past January.

"They came (in) so high there was not enough money," she said.

Supervisors sought new bids. They were still too high, Dennis said. So the project was scaled back to just a portion of phase one and a contract was awarded in June to Terra Works Inc. of Clarion, Dennis said. The pavilion was built. Work was started on Trout Trail, which will be an asphalt path of about a fifth of a mile leading to Elk Creek and will be in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. Township employees will add some parking spaces and sidewalks, and portable toilets will likely be set up at some point, supervisors said.

But the accessible fishing platform, additional trails and other features will have to wait.

This is a July 26, 2017, photo of the McKean Township building, 9231 Edinboro Road.

McKean Township Supervisor Ron Bole said he envisions the accessible platform as providing a place for service members, especially those with disabilities, to fish. Dennis added that it could be a fishing destination for veterans and residents of places like the Pennsylvania Soldiers' and Sailors' Home in Erie.

"Elk Creek is one of the region's most popular fishing destinations throughout the steelhead and spring trout seasons," Cermak said. "The primary goals of this project are to increase nature-based recreational opportunities within McKean Township and to provide improved access to Elk Creek for anglers, individuals seeking a new ADA accessible access point, and other nature enthusiasts."

Skellie said part of the funding LERC used to acquire its portion of the land came from the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission and one of the requirements was accessibility for anglers.

"That's something we favor as well," he said.

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Dennis said the area will have other uses in addition to fishing. School districts could take students there for nature walks and people could cross-country ski there in the winter, she added.

"I think it will be a nice asset for Erie County," Dennis said.

McKean Township Supervisor Janice Dennis.

The supervisors said they're committed to more improvements, they just don't know when.

"Hopefully, we can get more grants," Dennis said.

Cermak said that after the current work is completed, the partners will reassess what's in the master plan and "determine the next logical improvements to pursue." 

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Dennis said they don't want people visiting the McKean Conservation Area now because of the ongoing construction. But supervisors were happy to get the word out about what's to come.

"We want people to know it's there," Bole said.

Find the area

The entrance to the McKean Conservation Area is located at 8448 Peffer Road in McKean Township, but supervisors prefer people not visit while construction is ongoing. Check with township officials for completion dates.

Dana Massing can be reached at dmassing@timesnews.com. Follow her on Twitter @ETNmassing.