by Christine Lauriello, Cumberland Valley Appalachian Trail Club
About 2 years ago, Jack Farris had an idea to improve the area surrounding Children’s Lake in Cumberland County. From that idea, the Children’s Lake Bench Project was born. Jack asked Sam Rob, a local attorney, to research the ownership of the benches and whose property they were on. Sam also looked into different bench styles and prices. Jack also enlisted me to help, since I’m the chair of the Lake Committee and interact with many of the property owners.
There are 5 owners of the area where the benches are located: the Appalachian Trail Conservancy/National Park Service, South Middleton Municipal Authority, South Middleton Township, Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission, and the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW). South Middleton Township and the Children’s Lake Trust Authority maintain the grounds around the lake. Sam reached out to the owners to introduce the project to them and get their reaction before moving forward. With all these groups involved, his job was difficult, to say the least. Thankfully, the groups (except for the VFW) meet twice a year to discuss the lake, and everyone agreed that the old benches should be replaced.
The next step was deciding which type of bench to use, which was no easy task. Several of the benches were being replaced by private citizens, so we needed to make sure that we were coordinating our efforts with them. Additionally, the National Park Service has a long-standing policy of not allowing memorial plaques to appear on the Appalachian Trail. This policy was an important aspect of the project, because many of the benches currently have donation or memorial plaques attached to them. The Boiling Springs Civic Association and South Middleton Township wanted to respect the citizens recognized on the benches, but the National Park Service policy was clear. To preserve the plaques, we offered the existing benches to the relatives of the citizens recognized on the plaques, and the township delivered them to their homes.
We decided to match the new benches that have been installed around the lake. You may notice that the bench at the Appalachian Trail office differs from the others. We decided to select a different type of bench that would reflect the historic culture of the village.
The next step was finding funding for the project. According to my paperwork, the total estimated cost of the project is approximately $24,000. We at the Boiling Springs Civic Association are very thankful to have a wonderful township that supports these projects. South Middleton Township offered in-kind services to install the benches for us—a value of approximately $5,700. So far, the Boiling Springs Civic Association has contributed $3,157, and we’ve received $5,000 from a South Mountain Partnership Mini-Grant and a $9,810 grant from Cumberland County. The Appalachian Trail Conservancy paid for the installation supplies to anchor the benches.
Finally! After several years of hard work by a number of volunteers, and the cooperation and financial assistance from several key partners, the benches have been installed. They look beautiful! As I write this, the next round of new benches are being picked up from the manufacturer. They will be installed soon.