Dear Chairwoman Renee Erickson and members of the Senate Committee on Commerce:
I am Bruce Symes, a resident of Iola and Allen County for 37 years and currently a member of the Allen County Commission, and am writing to express my support for HB2331, creating Lehigh Portland State Park.
The Allen County Commission approved a letter of support, which you also have received, at our Feb. 7 meeting, but I also wanted to write a personal letter telling you why I am excited by the prospect for this state park and what it will add to our community, county and region of Southeast Kansas.
As a product of small towns up to that time, when I moved to Iola in 1986, I was drawn for several reasons: my job at the Iola Register newspaper, the Bowlus Fine Arts Center, Allen Community College, a bowling alley, skating rink, tennis courts, and a McDonald’s restaurant!
Lacking for me were outdoor recreational outlets. I enjoyed fishing and hunting. Elsmore State Fishing Lake is just over the county line in Bourbon County, about 24 miles from my home. I have driven there many times to fish and it is enjoyable, but has limited opportunities.
In the decades I’ve lived here, many changes have occurred. I now work at the college and still enjoy shows at the fine arts center. Gone are the bowling alley and skating rink, but we have almost 15 miles of trails in our community, thanks to Thrive Allen County and the Kansas rail-trail system. A large segment of these trails are next to the Lehigh quarry, which would add to its appeal as a State Park.
Such designation of the Lehigh Portland State Park would be a great benefit to area residents looking for recreational and healthful living opportunities and would help the regional economy through tourism.
I am grateful to Iola Industries for making this donation of property to the state and I ask that your committee approve its being made part of Kansas’s state parks system. Iola and Allen County will be proud stewards of our resources — financial and natural — if this plans comes to fruition.
Sincerely,
Bruce Symes
Iola, Kan.
