By Jennifer Reeger
When Mark McCarty arrived in Ohiopyle in 1971, the park surrounding the tiny Fayette County borough along the Youghiogheny River was in its infancy.
The state had grand plans for the park: a 100-room hotel, a golf and ski resort, and other amenities to attract tourists.
But the state decided to keep the park natural. While the tourists did come - to whitewater raft, hike, bike, mountain climb or enjoy breathtaking views - the town couldn't handle the sheer numbers.
Now, the 19,000-acre state park that draws 1.5 million visitors a year and the town of just 76 year-round residents are working together on issues confronting a popular tourist destination with limited resources.
"This is the first remake. It's sort of another look at what Ohiopyle is," said McCarty, the town's former mayor and owner of Laurel Highlands River Tours.
Long before its incorporation as a borough in 1891, Ohiopyle had been a center for lumbering. Coal mines dotted the surrounding mountains. When the railroad came through in 1871, visitors began coming to view the majestic Youghiogheny River, Ohiopyle Falls and the surrounding wilderness.
Hotels, including the luxurious Ferncliff Resort, offered lodging. But tourism waned when the automobile gained popularity. The hotels closed, and nature reclaimed the resort. In the 1960s, the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy sold land to the state. The state bought more land and homes, some through eminent domain, and dedicated Ohiopyle State Park in 1971.
The town's industry is tourism. Most of its 34 homes sit atop the hill overlooking the river. A motel, several bed-and-breakfasts, restaurants, and the Falls Market, a general store/restaurant/inn are concentrated near State Route 381, which separates the borough from the park.
Visitors and residents complain about the lack of parking. The borough sewage treatment plant, overwhelmed by storm water run-off, can't handle more customers. There are not enough hotel rooms. To get to the park, visitors have to cross busy Route 381, kids and kayaks in tow.
"Our infrastructure takes a beating," said Ed Noll, borough council president.
The borough's shoestring budget - $30,000 to $35,000 a year - isn't enough to improve roads or water or sewerage.
A new 50-cent fee assessed on the 42,000 rafters who booked trips through four concessionaires, produced $2,100 for the borough last year - 10 percent of $21,000 raised, said park assistant manager Stacie Faust.
"We have no deep pockets to address some of these issues," McCarty said.
A fresh start
Noll credits the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources and Ohiopyle manager John Hallas with spearheading the effort to improve the town.
Ohiopyle became the "gateway" community for the Laurel Highlands Conservation Landscape Initiative, a partnership with the DCNR, the borough, PennDOT and the state Department of Economic and Community Development.
The organizations, led by the Pennsylvania Environmental Council, are fashioning a master plan for the borough and the park to devise environmentally friendly improvements to roads, sewerage, storm water management, energy sources and parking. A new visitors center at the park is part of the plan.
URS, a planning firm with an office in Pittsburgh, is drafting the master plan and seeking grant money.
The first was a $1.9 million state grant to redesign Route 381 to slow traffic, making it easier for bicyclists and walkers to cross.
"Sometimes people are carrying rafts on their heads," Noll said. "We're trying to make that safer for the pedestrians and the motorists."
The sewage treatment facility, which serves the park, got a $500,000 update in 2001. But state and borough leaders discovered recently the system could handle few new residential customers, let alone a large commercial enterprise. They are studying how to make more improvements.
The borough is working out a land exchange with the park to open 2.6 acres for new houses.
Parking squeeze
The goal is to improve the borough for residents, businesses and tourists. There are about 520 parking spaces in nearby lots and another 100 on borough streets. Visitors park along Route 381 and other roads, adding another 200 or so spots.
A Butler County man told Hallas he drove about three hours to get to Ohiopyle, and left without stopping because he couldn't find anywhere to park.
"When they arrive here, they drive around the borough for a half-hour, for an hour," Hallas said. "People are being ticketed. People are being towed. People are parking in the streets. It's an overload, and it's not the experience we want."
While some hope park improvements will bring improvements to the town, others are not optimistic.
Charlene Collins, 43, lives five miles away in Stewart Township. Her great-grandmother lost her Ohiopyle home when the state took it for the park by eminent domain. An aunt moved out in the 1980s because of the tourists. Collins doesn't think the planning is worth the money, but she concedes nothing will stop tourists.
"They found it and they're not going to leave. I just wish they would have not found it, and it would have been my little town," she said.