Summit Lake Receives Nielsen Foundation Grant

Summit Lake Recreation Area will be adding new shower houses, bathrooms that will also serve as a storm shelter and a handicapped accessible fishing pier with a cover over it, thanks to a $166,00 grand from the Don Nielsen Foundation.

“I was so thrilled,” stated Patty Plugge of the Burt County Economic Development Corporation.

Patty worked with a committee formed from of volunteers from Leadership Burt County and Recreation Preservation Association in improving Summit Lake. They initially sought to raise money, when the news of this grant came through.

Previous improvements to the area were new camper pads and electricity to all of the camper pads. “This is the second year of having the new camper pads. We previously had eleven, now we have thirty,” Patty said. “This makes a huge difference in the number of campers during the summer. We have more people coming to Summit Lake from all over.”

The new improvements to the area will start this fall, but most of the work will be done in the spring. “The project is set to be finished by Memorial Day,” Patty stated.

The group contacted Nebraska Game and Parks to do the construction. Former Oaklander Jim Swenson is the Parks Division Administrator for the entire state of Nebraska and will be working on the construction at Summit Lake. “The bathrooms are purchased already made. The footings will be put in and the bathroom will be ready to be placed,” Patty said. “An engineer will be hired to do testing, etc. for the pier.

Patty and the Leadership Burt County and Recreation Preservation Association will be sitting down to discuss improvements at Pelican Point. “We haven’t done much there yet due to the flooding. We will also be talking to Nebraska Game and Parks about Pelican Point and what can be done there,” Patty stated.

The grant from the Don Nielsen foundation is greatly appreciated by everyone involved in improving Summit Lake. “We thank them for their generous donation to us. They wanted to help because they felt like it was a good fit with their mission to help communities and the general public,” Patty said.

The Nielsen Foundation awarded a $166,000 grant last week for improvements
to Summit Lake State Recreation Area. Those who marked the occasion include,
from left, Burt County Economic Development Director, Patty Plugge, Nielsen
representative, Clarence Mock, Game & Parks Division Administrator, Jim
Swenson, Tekamah Community Foundation member, Sarah Chatt, and Burt County
Recreation Preservation Association members Becky Anderson and Trent Olsen.
Katie Novak/Burt County Plaindealer