New owners plan for
Piney Meadows' future

LIMESTONE – Piney Meadows Campground in Limestone is also a field of dreams for Dave and Tanya Aaron.

The couple purchased the 12-acre campground on Oct. 1, 2021, and Dave shared of his dreams for the site at a recent meeting of the Clarion Rotary Club.

“I grew up about a half a mile from Piney Meadows,” Aaron, a lifetime resident of Limestone, said. “We love spending time outdoors as a family. So what better reason to buy a campground?

“I remember the park in its glory days and our plan is to bring it back to life.”

Aaron said the plan is to expand the campground over time.

“I remember when I was a kid, my parents would give us a couple of bucks and we would ride our bikes down to the campground and pay a dollar to get into the swimming pool,” he said. “We had a dollar for snacks and we would spend all day there, and all the kids were there and it was great. We’d run through the fields and up through the park and it was such a great time.

“Just to see it the way it is now, is kind of disappointing, but we’re turning it around. We want to be where we have people down there enjoying it all of the time.”

The site has seven permanent campsites and about 20 trailer sites. They also have two big pavilions and a small pavilion.

Aaron’s roots run deep in Limestone.

“I got the opportunity to buy my parents’ house when they decided to move around a little bit,” he explained. “I bought the house that I actually grew up in and I’ve been there ever since. Tonya and I got married and started our family. We have a son and two beautiful daughters and everything’s going well.”

Aaron is also of owner of Limestone Seamless Gutters, his day job, in addition to Piney Meadows.

The campground was for sale for many years by owners Sam and Mike Buzard.

“We were with the owners one evening and I asked what would it take to buy it?” Aaron said. “He threw out a number and we worked on it for a couple of years. We got it finalized in October last year.”

Aaron admits the campground needs a lot of maintenance and a lot of work.

“We started this spring and cleaned the entire banks of the creek so that the kids could go down there and do some trout fishing this last weekend. I was happy that the banks were full and people were everywhere just having fun. There were kids catching small trout but the smiles on their faces as they proudly displayed them made all of the work worthwhile.”

A lot more is planned for the future, including new roofs for buildings, upkeep and just cleaning up.

“We’re just slowly turning it around,” Aaron said. “It’s going to be probably five to 10 years before we get it right. It’s overwhelming at times; it’s very enjoyable at times. We decided that we’re just going to take it slow and do what we can.”

Nearly everyone of a certain age remembers the cool spring water in the large swimming pool, but Aaron said the pool is not coming back.

“The biggest thing is everybody remembers the swimming pool,” he said. “It was the biggest one around, and it was the coldest swimming pool around because it was spring fed and it was so cold on hot summer days. After a half hour in the pool, your lips were blue when you came out. We had a great time down there.

“I’ve done a lot of research about it and the Clarion Borough Pool situation was a big factor in my decision. People want privacy and they don’t want to be in that big of a pool. Some people want their own pools and they are affordable. I don’t think that the income from the pool would warrant the expenses.”

Increased regulations for operation of a pool enacted years after the start of the Piney Meadows pool would likely prevent its operation without a considerable investment.

Aaron said he thinks that the campground is going to be pretty big because of possible ATV traffic.

“The Piney Rail Riders for off-road vehicles are in the process of purchasing the rail bed that runs above the campground,” he explained. “When purchased, it would provide 29 miles for ATVs.

“It would bring in campers with the ATVs and have access to the trails. That would be another form of income for the community, [with trail-users] going to a lot of local businesses, restaurants, bars, and all of that.”

Aaron said they have kept all the names the same for those familiar with Piney Meadows, and they have plans for the brick building along Route 66, which was once a gas station. 

He said he plans to re-install the old gas pumps many motorists were familiar with.

“It’s going to be take everybody back in time,” he said.