Conneaut entities may team to groom beach

By MARK TODD - Staff Writer - mtodd@starbeacon.com
Star Beacon

July 04, 2009 12:39 am

— CONNEAUT — A possible partnership between three government entities could result in a more beautiful lakefront.
Conneaut’s City Hall, Port Authority and park commissioners are studying a proposal that could see the trio team to buy and share equipment that would groom Township Park beach and the sandbar that sits in Conneaut Harbor.
At issue is a machine, pulled by a tractor, that plucks rocks and other debris from sand. Such a machine was borrowed recently from the city of Ashtabula to scrub the Township Park beach, and officials were pleased with the results.
City Manager Robert Schaumleffel Jr., recently urged City Council to consider purchasing a cleaner of its own, saying the beach is a prime tourist destination and requires care.
The port authority is also interested in the machine as a way to maintain the sandbar, and its access road, that has sprouted in the southwest corner of the harbor, said Denver Spieldenner, chairman. The bar has become popular with visitors.
“We’d like to use it for the sandbar,” he said. “We want to start cleaning up our side of the breakwall.”
The port authority has already ordered a $50,000 tractor large enough to pull a cleaner, Spieldenner said. The tractor will also handle many other chores, such as heavy-duty mowing and hoisting a front end loader, he said.
The port panel is willing to loan its tractor to the city and Township Park to pull any beach cleaner they may be willing to buy, Spieldenner said. In return, the authority would like to borrow the cleaner occasionally for use on the sandbar, he said.
“We could share it,” Spieldenner said. “We want to partner with Township Park and the city.”
Gary Coxon, chairman of the park commissioners, said they are intrigued by the idea. The commissioners want to confer first with the Ohio Department of Natural Resources to find out the long-term impact of periodically skimming layers of rock off the beach.
“Are we interested in the idea and are we exploring it? Absolutely,” Coxon said. “It’s all under study.”