Public Meeting on Tuesday, August 10, 2021 at 6:30 PM

News Release Date:
July 16, 2021

Contact:Elizabeth Shope, 814-449-4125

We want to share the many exciting projects happening at Johnstown Flood National Memorial at a public meeting that will take place on Tuesday, August 10, 2021 at 6:30 PM in the Visitor Center theater.

The Lakebed Rehabilitation Project has been in progress since January 2020. The goal of the project is to restore the view of the lakebed to what it looked like shortly after the dam broke on May 31, 1889. Throughout the Lakebed Rehabilitation Project, special care will be taken to protect wetland areas and the stream in the lakebed. The project will restore areas of the lakebed to what it looked like shortly after the flood, enhancing the visitor experience at the memorial. The secondary goal of the project is to have areas outside of the wetlands and stream flourish with low lying vegetation and native grass and plants that can be maintained by the National Park Service. Rehabilitation was done in the lakebed in the 1980s, but the vegetation has since grown back.

A herd of goats from Allegheny Goatscape, in Pittsburgh, PA, are once again on-site eating vegetation in the lakebed. This portion of the project could continue until the fall.

A National Park Service (NPS) Fire subject matter expert will be on site to continue the conversation on prescribed fire in the lakebed that was first introduced to the public at a December 2019 public meeting. A prescribed fire could take place in a section of the lakebed this fall or Spring 2022.

An extension to the Path of the Flood Trail will go through the breach in the dam and continue through the lakebed.

At the Club House, future work includes a heating and air conditioning system, utilities, and a fire suppression system. This work will allow visitors more access to the building. The Club House was the main building used by members and guests of the South Fork Fishing and Hunting Club.

The Lippincott Cottage continues to undergo stabilization on the roof, windows, porch, and foundation. The work is being done by a contractor under the direction of the NPS Historic Preservation Training Center (HPTC). The Lippincott Cottage was once a lakefront structure owned by Jesse Lippincott, a member of the South Fork Fishing and Hunting Club. Lippincott was a glassmaker and invested in the Bell Telephone Company and phonograph industry.

At the Double Cottage, the vinyl siding will be completely removed by HPTC, and the original siding repaired. Replacement pieces have been ordered for areas where the original siding is in poor condition. The Double Cottage was owned by William A. McIntosh, Henry B. Patton, Calvin Wells, and H. Sellers McKee, all members of the South Fork Fishing and Hunting Club. This cottage was built in 1887 and serves as private apartments owned by the National Park Service.

Subject matter experts from different divisions of the NPS will also be on site to talk about the different projects. Those in attendance are welcome to share their thoughts, concerns, and questions! We hope to see you there!

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