Ohio and Pa. seek to move sand to Presque Isle

CONNEAUT, Ohio (AP) — Officials in two states want to move sand from Conneaut Harbor in Ohio, which has too much, to Presque Isle State Park in Pennsylvania, which needs more.

“When you look at it, it seems to make sense,” Harry Leslie, Presque Isle’s operations manager, said at a meeting. “We just need to figure out a way that’s environmentally and financially beneficial for both.”

Lawmakers from both states plan to seek federal funding and see what else would be needed to move the sand, said Denver Spieldenner, Conneaut Port Authority chairman.

Legislators “understand our frustration. They understand our need to move sand out of the harbor, and Presque Isle’s need for it,” he said.

Pennsylvania state Rep. Pat Harkins, D-Erie, said legislators will be a “unified force to do whatever’s necessary to bring it to fruition.”