Edinboro Lake suffers from small budget

In the summer Edinboro can look scenic, tranquil and calm, but the amount of money it costs the borough to keep it that way is a becoming a problem.

The Borough of Edinboro has a limited income in terms of tax dollars and revenue. One area that becomes a victim of the small budget is recreation and Edinboro Lake.

"If we had more money we would do more," said Borough Manager Taras "T.J." Jemetz. "We fund what we can."

The borough relies heavily on grants in order to fund projects that benefit Edinboro Lake and the surrounding land.

People who live in the borough have suggested several ideas that could help raise money to fund projects for Edinboro Lake, but Jemetz said some of these ideas are not feasible.

"One person recommended increasing the price of the dock fees for boats. If we raise the prices significantly we would probably lose some business and it really would not help us."

Jemetz also said that the money generated from the dock fees must be used to operate and store the waterfront equipment. The money cannot generate a profit.

"We charge just enough money to operate the docks," said Jemetz. "That is all we can do."

Edinboro Lake has been affected in many ways over the past several years by the budget shortfalls. For example, in the past lifeguards would monitor the the beaches surrounding Edinboro Lake all day; now they guard one area, Pat Crawford Beach located on Lakeside Drive, only six hours a day.

In the past, neighboring Washington Township had assisted Edinboro in covering the cost of the lifeguards, enabling them to work longer hours. Several years ago Washington Township, which owns half of Edinboro Lake, decided to cease funding for lifeguards, leaving the borough to cover the bill.

Lifeguards are not the only area in which Washington Township has cut funds recently.

They are participating in the annual pesticide spraying of the lake but not to same extent as they have in the past.

The spraying of the lake prevents aquatic weeds from reaching the surface.

"We were told we didn't have to spray as much of the lake as we have in previous years," said David Anthony, borough manager of Washington Township. "It is not necessary."
Originally Washington Township was not going to participate in the lake spray at all.

Anthony explained that they had initially misunderstood Brian Zimmerman, a geosciences professor at Edinboro University.

"We thought he said that spraying the lake wouldn't be necessary this year," said Anthony. "After he met with our council to better explain himself, it was clear we would have to spray at least part of the lake."

In the past, in conjunction with Washington Township and the Edinboro Lake Watershed Association, it was possible to generate the funds to spray the entire lake.

Spraying the entire lake would cost $9,000; the borough can only cover half of that cost. In addition, the borough only owns half of Edinboro Lake, and they cannot spray the half of the lake owned by Washington Township.

"We can only spray the part of the lake we own," said Jemetz. "We just can't afford to spray the entire lake by ourselves."

Parts of Edinboro Lake will likely have a few more weeds in it this year, but this does not diminish what the borough has done to enhance the lake and the surrounding areas.

"Despite the lack of funds, we still maintain a small park with basketball and sand volleyball courts in addition to the boat docks," said Jemetz. "We still do quite a bit."

Many people who have lived near Edinboro Lake have enjoyed the features that Jemetz mentioned.

"It was really nice," said Greg Roberts, a Fairview native and Edinboro University alumnus who lived in a cottage near Edinboro Lake. "I enjoyed just sitting on the benches or going for a walk on a nice day."

Roberts is not alone in his opinion. "I liked messing around on the playground when no one was there," said Julie Ford, a former Edinboro student who lived on Cypress Street.

"Sometimes it was just a nice getaway."