PHILIPSBURG/CENTRE COUNTY, Pa — Monday evening, the Philipsburg Borough Council opted to make their pursuit of a DCNR grant towards creating a campground at Cold Stream Dam official.
Cold Stream Dam already has a park, a walking path and a number of recreation areas but now, it appears that a campground may be added too.
“Just expanding an existing park, giving more opportunities for different types of recreation,” said Tim Ryder, Philipsburg’s Code Enforcement Officer.
After Monday night’s Philipsburg Borough Council meeting, brush areas located by the soccer fields at the Cold Stream Dam Recreation Area will soon be converted into campgrounds. And the surrounding area, including Cold Stream itself, won’t be disturbed in the process.
“We’re not changing anything...it’s dirt, it’s still going to be dirt. We’re putting gravel in. If anything, it’s going to be better,” Ryder said. “It’s getting rid of some...inhabiting a bad area, where things go on at night, and putting in some lights and letting people enjoy the stream with the fish and the kayaking, everything that happens down there.”
And while the local response seems to be positive, some residents have questioned the timbering going on nearby, but Philipsburg Borough Manager Joel Watson says that’s unrelated to this project.
“Where the project is located, there won’t even be a tree cut down where the project is located,” he stated. “It’s already used for recreation in that area, part of it is already a parking lot, actually part of it is part of the soccer field, the other part of it is already a parking area.”
And Watson says a DCNR grant is vital to this venture.
“Something that we can’t kind of just handle on our own is to get power into there. It’s roughly around $100,000 plus or minus to get power into there so without grant funding, its probably something we wouldn’t, wouldn’t really pursue,” he shared.
This endeavor would bring financial and recreational benefits to the region, but Watson says cleaning up the area is a strong positive.
“It’d be easier to keep it clean because now it can be...it can be policed and regulated,” he said. “There’s a lot of activity that goes on out there just because it’s not lighted, it’s not...you know, it’s kind of out of the way.”
Watson says the access road to the area off of Route 322 may also receive some attention if this plan comes to fruition.
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