<b>More than meets eye&nbsp;</b><b>happening at Crystal Park</b>

Over 16 years in the making, Crystal Lake Park has recently passed another milestone with the renovation of the existing building and landscaping of the entrance to the park.&nbsp;

The building, which was the former headquarters of Butler Marine, will serve as the new home for the Open Land Trust and the Soil and Water Conservation District. It will also provide public restrooms for park visitors.&nbsp;

The newly renovated building will serve as an example of what is possible in energy efficiency when considering new construction or renovation.&nbsp;

For example, the building includes a solar array for generation of electricity, an advanced remote energy management system, a very high efficiency HVA unit, LED light fixtures and closed cell insulation in the walls and roof (in lieu of fiberglass).&nbsp;

In addition to renovation of the building, a new viewing dock, to replace the one which was destroyed by fire, is scheduled for completion as part of the present phase of construction.&nbsp;

Installation of a state of the art security system will accompany the dock construction. The finishing touches on a new parking lot and general landscaping are presently underway. &nbsp;

The next and final phase is construction of a wooden walkway around the 6-acre lake and is in the design phase.&nbsp;

Conceived in 2000, donated by a private citizen to the county for a park, and funded as part of the Rural and Critical Land program, Crystal Lake Park should be complete in January 2018. &nbsp;
<p style="text-align: right;"><b>Peggy Allard
</b><b>President, Friends of Crystal Lake</b></p>