Pinckneyville Dedicates A New Fishing Pier for the Handicapped

</element><element id="paragraph-1" type="body"><![CDATA[ For the past decade the Shawnee Resource Conservation and Development councils have applied for and attempted to build a handicap accessible pier at the Pinckneyville City lake. Finally, June 16, that pier is a reality.

The Shawnee RC & D first applied in 1998, and were turned down. They reapplied in 1999 and 2002 and were again denied the grant. It was not until their 2004 application that the project was finally accepted for funding and work began. The grant allows the state to pay for half and the city to pay for half.

Interest in the project first began when VFW Post 3959, which has unfortunately earlier this year been put out of operation, showed concern that handicap veterans could not go fishing on the lake due to inaccessibility. Two veterans in particular, Parley Runyon, a Staff Sergeant veteran from Vietnam who had served twice and been paralyzed from the waist down, and Harold Wild, a World War II veteran that had been made handicapped from the war, were seasoned fisherman and were unable to utilize the lake. Despite the fact that these men had passed away before any serious work could be done to make the lake accessible to them, their fellow veterans sought to it that the problem still be fixed. The VFW Post 3959, shortly before closing, dedicated the remainder of their funds to the handicap pier project. The post was forced to close due to the dwindling amount of members. Several members of the post were disheartened when the post closed. Though they are thankful that there is a fully operational American Legion, a difference between the VFW and the American Legion is that to be in the VFW a person must have served overseas, a distinction that they are very proud of.

At the dedication, District Conservationist Robert Spencer said a few words about the veterans who had pushed for the project before introducing the other speakers, former VFW member Leonard Heisner of the American Legion, and Pinckneyville Mayor Joe Holder.

Mr. Heisner stated that although they had passed on the handicapped veterans that had first showed interest would be proud that the city was now accessible to the handicapped.

Mayor Holder said a few words about how the City of Pinckneyville would work, with Commissioner Stone in charge of the area, to keep the lake looking wonderful and being functional to all, "We will work to make this facility everything it can be."

American Legion members Leonard Heisner, Gary Tempner, Frank Stein, Richard Tabing, Nelson Rule, Donald Elliott, Jim Higgerson, Bob Vaudison, Arleson Carlson and Jim Epplin were at the dedication in full dress for an honorary salute. Stephen Campbell was on the trumpet to play Taps.