While it’s yet to be known whether legislators will designate Lehigh Portland State Park as Kansas’ 29th state park, the information gathering process has been a fruitful history lesson.
Many locals were unaware the lake, familiarly known as Elks Lake, is owned by Iola Industries, a group of about 100 investors whose primary goal is economic development.
The arrangement between Elks and Iola Industries was mutually beneficial. The Elks leased the lake for $1 a year and in return Iola Industries was assured it would be in good hands. This continued for 40 years, when, in mid-2022, Iola Industries board members notified Elks leadership that it would not renew the lease.
Behind the scenes, Iola Industries was working with Thrive Allen County to pursue developing the 138-acre lake and its surrounding 230 acres of biking and hiking trails into a state park, fulfilling Iola Industries’ long-term goal of making the entire site available to the public.
Iola Industries has retained Thrive since 2013 for its economic development services, for which it now pays $20,000 a year. Since 2014, Thrive has been instrumental in developing a 14-mile network of trails around the lake.
It took until the first of 2023 to be certain that officials with the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks and Tourism deemed the project not only feasible but also recognized that Iola Industries’ gift of the land was beyond generous.
In early February, Rep. Fred Gardner, R-Garnett, introduced the legislation before the House Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee to designate the site as a state park.
On March 16, the full House approved the measure. On Wednesday, March 22, the Senate Committee on Commerce heard testimony on the proposal. None of those testifying were against the formation of the park, nor did any of the committee members question its benefits. Sen. Caryn Tyson, R-Parker, and who represents Allen County, sits on the committee.
Whether the full legislature approves the measure will likely not be known for another two weeks, according to Lisse Regehr, CEO of Thrive Allen County. 
THE LAKE is the site of the former Lehigh Portland Cement quarry, which after 100 years ceased production in 1970. At one time Lehigh had as many as 900 employees. Two things led to its Pennsylvania-based owners’ decision to cease production: The plant was old and required millions to bring it up to new environmental standards; and of its holdings, the Iola plant was low on the totem pole in terms of profits.
Its then-president, William J. Young of Allentown, Pa., agreed to sell the property to Iola Industries for $275,000. A subsequent auction of its large machinery by Iola Industries netted $400,000 which helped it pay off the purchase price and plow funds into future development, including Gates Manufacturing, which sits on land formerly owned by Lehigh.
Once idled, the quarry began to fill with crystal clear water from underground springs that were tapped during the quarry’s excavation. The water is filtered by the millions of layers of limestone. In places, the water is 40 feet deep. 
If Iola Industries were to sell the property outright, its current value has been appraised at $2 million. Board members, however, viewed a state park as yielding greater rewards to the surrounding area.
Donating the land also helps offset the state’s cost of future development of the site. Plans include dozens of campsites, two RV campgrounds, cabins, fishing docks, a visitor center, restrooms scattered about, a splash park and playground and more.
Among the top benefits of it becoming a state park would be the area’s management into perpetuity and that it would become a tourist destination. State parks of this size typically attract 250,000 visitors a year, according to Linda Lanterman, director of Kansas State Parks, who testified before the Senate Committee on Commerce on Wednesday.
Today, the trails attract an estimated 80,000 visitors a year and are its number one recruitment tool for prospective residents.
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