Autumn at Presque Isle brings beach walk, marina work, solar panel installation, more

Officials walk Presque Isle State Park's beaches to assess their condition each autumn.

"I think we're sitting pretty good this time of year," Park Operations Manager Matt Greene said Wednesday as the fall beach walk neared its conclusion.

Greene was joined by officials from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Presque Isle Advisory Committee and others. They take a similar walk each spring to check conditions after the winter storm season and identify where erosion occurred and where sand needs to be placed.

In addition to the beaches, Greene gave the Erie Times-News updates on the recent end of the swimming season and park projects going on right now at Beach 8 and the marina.

Sand replenishment

Greene said this year's work to add sand to Presque Isle's beaches wrapped up about two weeks ago. Crews put down 31,000 cubic yards of newly purchased sand and moved about 30,000 cubic yards of sand from tombolos, which are bars of sand and sediment that develop between beaches and breakwaters, to places where erosion had occurred. Money for the work comes from the federal and state governments.

Despite some wind and rain in October, Greene said the main storm season hadn't started yet.

"We'll continue just to keep eyes on the beaches," he said.

Greene also said that Gull Point on the peninsula's eastern end was "looking good" with "pretty substantial sand dunes starting to form." He said erosion was still occurring from Beach 10 east to the start of the natural area, which is closed to public use from April 1 through Nov. 30.

From April: What the 2023 spring walk revealed about Presque Isle State Park's beaches

2023 swimming

Park officials believe this was the first time the swimming season was extended into October.

Lifeguards have typically left Presque Isle's beaches on Labor Day, although a couple later September weekend swimming days were added in past years. This year, those Saturday and Sunday swimming days extended through Oct. 1.

"We were glad to be able to provide that opportunity (for more swimming)," Greene said.

He said the extension was due to air temperatures in the 70s and a Lake Erie water temperature near 70.

The park will do it again in the future if conditions permit, Greene said.

Presque Isle Marina

A project involving piers and docks at the park marina had been delayed after it had to be rebid because the original submissions came in too high. A contract was eventually awarded to Perry Construction and Greene said work to deconstruct Piers A and B has started. All boats were out of the water by Sept. 26 for the work to start, he said.

The $8.5 million improvement project will include replacing the remaining two stationary piers with floating ones, considered safer when water levels fluctuate. Existing floating docks will get upgrades, utilities will be added to Piers 2 and 3 and more slips will be available for boats from 22 feet to 30 feet in length.

The official end date for the project is the first week in June. If that holds true, there could be a delay of a couple weeks to get boats in the water in 2024, Greene said. But if the weather remains agreeable, he said, the project could be done sooner. He said officials would have a better idea of the timeline in February or early March.

Beach 8 solar arrays

Construction on this $1.5 million project has started. Greene said work on footings has begun and should be done within a couple weeks, followed by construction of the structures for the solar panels. The contractor is Spotts Brothers of Schuylkill Haven and the project is expected to wrap up by the end of November, Greene said.

Five arrays will be placed in the Beach 8 parking lot, with parking spaces for at least 20 cars under each array, Greene has said. They will be high enough to accommodate taller vehicles, such as RVs.

Park and Department of Conservation and Natural Resources officials had announced in September 2021 that the solar array would help the park reach net-zero energy consumption, save DCNR $30,000 on electricity annually, produce enough energy to power 25 average American homes and reduce the park's carbon footprint to the equivalent of removing 20 passenger cars from the road annually.

Coming up at the peninsula

Several events will be taking place this fall and early winter. Among them are:

PI After Dark: Gas Well Trail: Oct. 27, 6:30-8 p.m. Park educators will share tales and legends related to the spooky season on this free Halloween-themed 1.5-mile hike. Call 814-833-7424 or visit https://events.dcnr.pa.gov/event/pi_after_dark_gas_well_trail to learn more.

Presque Isle Fall Hike: Nov. 4, 10-11:30 a.m. Enjoy a free 1.5-mile morning stroll on level but sandy Dead Pond Trail as park staff discuss fall on the peninsula. Meet at the Dead Pond Trail head at Thompson Circle. Call 814-833-7424 or visit https://events.dcnr.pa.gov/event/presque_isle_fall_hike to learn more.

Presque Isle Lights: Lights will be turned on Fridays through Sundays throughout December, starting at 6 p.m.; visitors must be through the park's front gates by 9 p.m. to drive around the peninsula. Take a self-guided evening driving tour of seasonal light displays at various locations throughout the park. The lights are free to see but the Presque Isle Partnership, which puts on the event, will accept donations. Call 838-5138 or visit www.discoverpi.com/events/presque-isle-lights to learn more.

Bird watching: Erie birder McWilliams flocks to Presque Isle State Park for nearly 50 years of tracking birds

Dana Massing can be reached at dmassing@timesnews.com.

This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: Presque Isle fall walk checks beaches; marina, solar panel work begins