CLARK, PA. Developer proposes campground on the shore of Shenango Lake

CLARK, Pa. -- Mark Kasiorek of Volant said things went well when he made a pitch to build a recreational project on Shenango Lake.
Kasiorek met Thursday in Pittsburgh with representatives of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which owns the lake and is seeking a developer for the former 43-acre YMCA campground on the southern shore.
A corps spokesman was unavailable to comment on the meeting, but Kasiorek said the corps is interested in his proposal and asked him to put together a full development plan. No specific timetable was mentioned, he said.
His proposal is a "full hookup" campground combined with the construction of cabins on the site just east of the Pa. Route 18 causeway.
Details of the project will be released later as the plan is developed, he said.
History: The corps has been tying to fund a developer for the site since it refused to renew the Shenango Valley YMCA's lease on the land in 2000. The Y had a primitive campsite and some outdoor sports fields there for 30 years, but the corps wants a broader recreational development there.
However, repeated efforts to attract a developer have been hampered by the fact that the corps won't sell the land but will only lease it. Developers have said they are reluctant to spend money to improve property they can't own, a corps spokesman said.
Kasiorek said not being able to own the land isn't a problem for him.
His is the only proposal the corps has received.