Ricky Grabosky’s birthday is April 25, right around the first day of trout season in Pennsylvania.
When he was a teenager, his mom would let him take the day off from school. His bus driver would still pick him up.
"I'd get on the school bus, my lunch, tackle box and a fishing rod, come down here,” he said standing at the shore of the Pumpy. “I'd get out, wave to him ‘pick me up at quitting time’ … So I'd come up here, sit on the grass all day," he said.
Grabosky is a LifeFlight nurse and the caretaker of the fish hatchery at the 100-acre property and the Pumping Station Dam in East Union Twp.
Locals call it the Pumpy.
For decades community members would picnic, fish and frolic at the property. Then about 15 years ago, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) shut the area down. The reservoir’s dam was unsafe.
"The people in Shendo let it go, the council let it go. They didn't pay attention to it, and it became abandoned. So then DEP came in with their rules and regulations,” Shenandoah Borough Councilman Joe Gawrylik said.
The nonprofit Pumpy Association formed three years ago with a mission to restore the reservoir and bring recreation back to the area. So children, teenagers and families could again make lifelong memories, like Grabosky's birthday fishing adventure.
"When I was a kid, I would come here and I had the best time in my life, and I will remember it forever, and that's true for me, but I've heard it 100 times from other people," said Lou Truskowsky, president of the Pumpy Association.
Truskowsky said a couple members live within a mile of the Pumpy in Schuylkill County. They got talking.
"We've got to do something about this, because we didn't want it to go away,” he said.
The area was overgrown. The reservoir's concrete spillway is cracked and needs to be repaired. The group is applying for funding to fix it. For now, the water is in a constant draw down.
Conversations to caretakers
Shenandoah Borough owns the 100-acre property. The reservoir was once part of the borough’s water supply.
At first the association was worried to approach officials from Shendo, as it’s called, about their plan for the Pumpy, Truskowsky said. They thought the borough might want to sell the property.
"God bless them. Because they said, 'well, then we'll make you caretakers,' because then if we try to do something here, we're not trespassing,” he said.
The borough gave the association their full support. On a hot Friday afternoon, members of council, including Gawrylik, showed up to the Pumpy. They shared the same enthusiasm for the restoration project.
"Things are going very well ... It is a good project," Gawrylik said.
Truskowsky said 31 communities in the region are also invested in the restoration. They also have support from state Sen. Dave Argall and state representatives Dane Watro and Tim Twardzik.
"We have to thank a lot of politicians that are helping this move forward,” Gawrylik said.
The Pumpy gets its name from the reservoir’s pump house that’s just down the hill from the shore of the water. That same hot Friday, association members began replacing the windows. They’ll eventually paint the house and fix the roof. It will serve as the natural area’s meeting house.
The association also received $77,000 to build a pavilion.
So far, the volunteers have knocked down an old concession stand that once sold snacks and fish supplies. They had help from a local contractor who donated time and equipment. They also cleared out much of the overgrown vegetation and some trees.
They have plans to make it more handicap accessible, although they do have one ramp that goes up to the water.
Across Pole Road from the reservoir is a fish hatchery. Grabosky tends to the fish and keeps feed bags full. The over 100 golden rainbow, brown and brook trout were given by an anonymous donor. The hatchery is another attraction for the Pumpy. Children stop by to feed the fish for $1 a bag. In the future, the association hopes to be able to stock the reservoir with those fish.
Then there’s trails. Truskowsky wants to work with Scouting America Scouts to add hiking paths to the area.
"The hours that were put into this already is tremendous, and it's going to continue on,” said Michael Whitecavage, a councilman and Pumpy supporter.
Benches now line the water. They were made by Dave Briggs, who uses donations from community members for the materials .
"I always would drive past here once in a while, because I'm in a neighboring township, and I'd say, 'boy, it's a shame that nobody's doing this',” he said.
Future plans also include renting the area out as a wedding venue, having polka concerts and block parties and horseshoe tournaments.
"And just to bring everybody together, and as long as the community's helping ... it's like part theirs too,” said Dave Sarno, vice president of the Pumpy Association.
Protecting a hidden gem
Sarno says the Pumpy is the region's Central Park.
"And it's for the next generation," he said.
Protecting and preserving the area for the future is a goal of everyone who is involved with the project.
“I tell people, the only reason I'm doing this is for little kids. I want them to come over here, have a ball and fall in the water,” Truskowsky said.
Whitecavage, who used to camp there when he was a kid, said the Pumpy is a hidden gem. People are already returning to the area to walk, picnic or play, he said.
"Everyone knows where the Pumpy is at and what it used to be like. And that's the end game. It is recreation," he said.
