Lakeside Industries, out of Centralia, pave the parking lot and boat ramp at Carlisle Lake in Onalaska Thursday afternoon as part of the first step in renovating the mill pond.
A crew from Lakeside Industries, out of Centralia, lay asphalt on the gravel parking lot and boat ramp at Carlisle Lake in Onalaska Thursday afternoon.
A construction crew from Lakeside Industries, out of Centralia, pave the parking lot and boat ramp at Carlisle Lake in Onalaska Thursday afternoon. The work will be complete by Opening Day for fishing on Saturday in the mill pond.
A Lakeside Industries construction crew smooth out the fresh pavement on the parking lot and boat ramp at Carlisle Lake in Onalaska Thursday afternoon.
The vision to turn Carlisle Lake in Onalaska into a recreational tourism destination took a large step forward Thursday when Lakeside Industries, out of Centralia, paved the pothole-filled parking lot and boat launch at the local mill pond.
The nonprofit Onalaska Alliance, which took ownership of Carlisle Lake and surrounding property last June, has plans to renovate the mill pond with new trails and educational opportunities for the community.
The plans begin with fixing the old, gravel parking lot, Onalaska Alliance President Omroa Bhagwandin said.
“This is going to open the whole thing up and make it look very inviting for developing tourism,” Bhagwandin said. “We want to develop this for recreation, fishing and walking and running trails.”
Bhagwandin said the nonprofit alliance was awarded about $136,000 earlier this year from the Lewis County Economic Development Council to upgrade the parking lot for tourism development.
Lewis County EDC Executive Director Dick Larman said the EDC sets aside money in its grant fund every year for tourism development. Larman said the Onalaska Alliance deserved the money for their contributions to their unincorporated town.
“They are doing some good work out there and I’m proud of them given the fact that they don’t have any governmental power as a nonprofit,” Larman said.
Carol Wells, owner of Wells’ Winery in Onalaska, came out to see the construction work Thursday afternoon and said she is looking forward to Carlisle Lake becoming more accessible.
“The parking lot is a good place to start,” Wells said. “You couldn’t even drive a car in here. It was bad.”
The parking lot and boat ramp were expected to be ready for today’s opening day of fishing season, Bhagwandin said.
While the parking lot area is being upgraded, Bhagwandin said, the group is putting together plans to make the walking and hiking trails more handicap accessible and open year round.
The alliance already received a $5,000 grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and Bhagwandin said the nonprofit needs about $10,000 more to improve the entire trail area.
In the long term, Bhagwandin said, he sees a new fire station and community center being built by the mill pond. For now, he said, the renovations start with fixing the parking lot for fishing season.
“When you are in momentum you have to keep going,” Bhagwandin said. “And when things are happening, people want to get involved.”
