Campground usage for Lock Haven’s Peddie Park gets preliminary council support

By John Lipez

LOCK HAVEN, PA – Lock Haven City Council Monday night was initially receptive to a  request to develop a portion of Peddie Park into a campground. Tracy and Rob Ellis from Colebrook Township have proposed a lease agreement to place 50 camp sites plus another ten glamping (upscale) sites on the city-owned land a mile north of town along the Susquehanna River in Allison Township.

Council unanimously agreed to direct city administration to continue to explore the lease and review a draft of a lease agreement prepared by the couple.

The Ellis request details were shared by Mrs. Ellis. The campground would be open from April to October; the site would be maintained by the Ellis’s.

According to information provided to the city by the Ellis’s, there is no public camping on the river, no overnight accommodations on the river; it is challenging to access kayak and boat drop offs; and the land at Peddie Park is not utilized to its full potential.

The city’s cost of maintaining the park is $15,000 a year, as of 2019, according to the Ellis-provided information. They said a lease with them would alleviate that financial burden. They also said there would be a boost to the local economy through the opening of a “family friendly” campground.

Council’s initial response was positive. Council member Doug Byerly noted some level of Peddie Park development had first been broached several years ago. He said the site presents a “tremendous opportunity” but said other parties might also be interested in improvements there. City officials noted there is a fairly complicated process to sell or lease the site as it was purchased through funding from the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.

The Peddie Park site, formerly farmland, was acquired by the city more than half a century ago and has been used for amateur softball in recent years.