Reflecting on responsibilities Among the many components of his job, Hess admitted that being involved with the development around the lake from the first day was one his most memorable contributions. “Building the visitor center and renovating the farmhouse into offices that were closer to the lake and visitor center – I was able to get in to this great opportunity early on,” he said. “The state had an award for recreation areas that looked at cleanliness, safety and other factors. I really wanted to win that award, and we did. It still can be seen at the visitor center on the wall.” It required lots of work and attention to detail, he added. “Our goal from the first day was to keep the facility in such a condition that no matter who comes – even if it was the president of the United States – we would be proud of that facility as we showed them around,” he said. “I had to anticipate any sort of potential emergency and write down step-by- step instructions on how to respond to things like if there was an accident between two vehicles at the preserve or if there was a missing child.”
Hess was also involved in new innovations for the preserve, including a unique toilet system. “Initially we had Job Johnnies, but we then went around to different state parks and looked at different toilets to design one for the preserve that put in all the good features of the ones we researched,” he said. “We wound up winning an award for the design. I went out to Kansas City to get the award.” Preserve’s impact The foresight of leadership within PP&L in the 1970s went a long way to creating what is at the preserve today, Hess said. “PP&L could have easily early on put a fence and no trespassing signs around the lake, but instead they wanted to be a good neighbor (to the community),” he said. “They spent a lot of money and time to turn the preserve into something special early on. Most people don’t realize how much work it takes to keep things clean and keep things safe at a place like this.” Gauging the impact of the preserve on the community was difficult at first, he admitted. “In all the years I worked there, we did
not get a lot of feedback from people on how they enjoyed using it and how important it was for them to have things open for hiking and fishing and other programs,” he said. “But when Talen bought the plant (in 2015) and talked about tearing down the buildings and closing the preserve, then all sorts of feedback came in on how important it was because there was nothing else like it in the area.” Even with the river nearby for fishing, Hess pointed out that the Preserve provides so much more. “Coming with your family for a picnic, or hiking a trail, or going to the fossil pit and finding a fossil or checking out the unique waterfowl – some people used a word that the preserve was a ‘gem,’” Hess said. “It provides a lot of different activities to people in the area that wouldn’t be here without the preserve.” Formore informationabout thepreserve, including a list of upcoming educational programs, visit montourpreserve.org. While still owned by Talen Energy, the Montour Preserve is managed by the Montour Area Recreation Commission. Learnmore about this group and support their work by visiting: montourrec.com.
PLAY. LEARN. DISCOVER. Take a tr ip to the Bloomsburg Chi ldren’s Museum!
THE CHILDREN’S MUSEUM, BLOOMSBURG 2 West 7 th Street | Bloomsburg, PA Call us at: 570.389.9206 https://the-childrens-museum.org/
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