Mayor Domenic J. Sarno, Director of Parks, Buildings, and Recreation Management (PBRM) Thomas Ashe, and Aquatics Director Joe Federico and team joined on Friday morning at Forest Park to announce the return of a beloved recreational pastime to Porter Lake inside Forest Park this summer: paddle boats! At Forest Park’s Porter Lake, the city will once again offer pedal-style Swan Boat rentals this summer.
Beginning in early July, on Saturdays and Sundays between 11:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m., visitors to Forest Park will be able to enjoy a ride around Porter Lake in a four-seater Swan pedal boat. Pedal Boats are first-come, first-served and can be used for half-hour rides on the lake for a $5 per boat rental fee. Specially trained lifeguards will be on duty and flotation devices will be provided for boat passengers.
Mayor Sarno states, “So many of us cherish fond memories of spending time at Forest Park with family and friends – for me growing up, parks, especially Forest Park, were my ‘Riviera.’ We are excited to be able to offer another fun way to experience the beauty of Forest Park with this recreational boating experience, that has a history here on Porter Lake dating back nearly a hundred years. My administration is committed to continuing to improve and enhance the enjoyment of our beautiful parks systems and we are extremely proud to that we have invested over $100 million our city-wide park system over the past 17 years. Thank you to Parks Director Tom Ashe and team, the Board of Park Commissioners, and our many partners for your continued stewardship of our park system for the enjoyment of current and future generations - like the students participating in ECOS that we had the pleasure of seeing today. We had a great moment taking in the sight of a baby fawn."
PRBRM Director Ashe states, “Parks are an important element for every neighborhood, they provide a respite from city life and offer an essential outlet for passive and active recreation. We are the proud custodians of our city’s 735 acre ‘crown jewel’, Forest Park, and remain committed to making various amenities and recreation opportunities available for our residents throughout the different seasons. I am extremely proud of our entire PBRM team, as it is their diligence and passion that create enjoyable and attractive parks. I would also like to thank Mayor Sarno for his steadfast support of our parks system, and the important outlet it provides for families.”
“We encourage everyone to continue to enjoy their parks, and if you have not visited Forest Park in a while you will notice some improvements like the major Monkey House renovations, the installation of the historic-replica Forest Park picnic pavilion and enhanced picnic grove, the beautiful restoration of the historic Trolley Gazebo right at the main entrance, soon the completed Walker Grandstand, and now the return of pedal Swan Boats on Porter Lake. However, as we were reminded today, nothing beats the experience of being so close and connected to undisturbed natural beauty – we were very fortunate to catch glimpse of a week old baby deer who was peacefully curled up in a patch of long grass enjoying our announcement today.”
