SPECIAL TO THE JOURNAL-REGISTER
RIDGEWAY — When the Town of Ridgeway dedicates a new picnic pavilion at popular Glenwood Lake Park on Sept. 17, it will be making history.
The 24-by-36-foot shelter, made with laminated beams in a modern design, is another step forward in development of an 8-acre town park adjacent to the small lake. Since purchase of the site in 2004, Ridgeway town workers have cleared and drained the land, planted new trees, developed new parking areas and provided benches and tables.
“Town forces have been a major factor in giving Ridgeway its first town park, and people are using it,” said James W. Watson, chairman of the Glenwood Lake Commission, in announcing the dedication. “Supt. Gary Blackburn and his crew teamed this summer with students from Iroquois Job Corps to assemble this new shelter, which is identical to those at the Orleans County Marine Park.”
Watson said town employees, area officials and elected leaders have been invited to a one-hour ceremony at the park at 4 p.m. on Wednesday, and the public is welcome, too. Thanks will be offered especially to State Sen. George D. Maziarz, R-Newfane, whose efforts provided state funds for the picnic shelter and for some of the land acquisition.
Also important to the development of Glenwood Lake Park over the past five years was a grant of $62,500 in matching funds proved through the New York state Office of Parks and Recreation from the Environmental Protection Fund. Richard Parker, general park manager of the Genesee Region of the state parks agency, said this week he is pleased that EPF fund money could be put to good use.
“State Parks is proud to partner with the Town of Ridgeway and Sen. Maziarz to help fund the park and the new pavilion,” he said.
The new park at Glenwood is something that was urged more than 30 years ago when a town leader, William Blackburn, publicly called for such a recreational site. The little inland lake was built along Oak Orchard River around 1900 by foundry owner Albert Swett to create electricity by hydropower. Even though fishermen gave it private use over many years, various power companies kept tight control. That attitude has now changed, and when the state built a boat launch on the lake in the 1990s, it ignited desires for an enlarged park.
“Gary Blackburn deserves special credit, because right after the boat launch appeared, he began a personal interest in developing this beautiful spot for public enjoyment,” said Ridgeway Supervisor Brian Napoli. Blackburn often manned equipment for long hours at the site and he won a state tourism award a few years ago for his accomplishments.
Today hundreds of area people enjoy the new park every week with fishing, small boating, a few minutes of scenic enjoyment, or perhaps a lunch in the open air by the water. The natural scenery around the lake has beauty, and the Medina waterfall lies at the south end.
The Glenwood Lake Commission was created in 1999 at the suggestion of Robert E. Waters, then a councilman. With eight members, the commission is currently conferring with Rochester consultants toward a future project of creating a hiking trail about 1 mile long from Lions Park at the canal in Medina to the Glenwood picnic area. A route for such a trail is now being studied by professionals.
