April 29, 2024 – Newly-installed signs at Lake Decatur will share A.E. Staley’s legacy and contribution to the creation of Lake Decatur for years to come.
The City of Decatur, its partners, and the Staley Family unveiled the signs at a ceremony on Monday at Lake Decatur. The first permanent sign is installed along the shore near the Devon Amphitheater and provides information about A.E. Staley, Sr., and his company, as well as his important contribution to the creation of the lake.
A second sign commemorating the former Staley Pump House was also revealed. It will be installed at a later time, close to where the Pump House once stood. The two signs were designed by the Staley Museum and City of Decatur.
Last year the Staley Family Foundation provided a donation to support the Centennial Lake Fest. To honor that contribution, the City renamed Lake Decatur’s Basin 3 as the Staley Basin. The boat ramp in that basin (Country Club ramps) was also renamed as the Staley Boat Ramps.
Along with the renamed locations and signs, the Foundation is supporting improvements in the Staley Basin on S Lake Shore Drive (commonly called the hot water ditch area) and at the Staley Boat Ramps on N Country Club Road. Two proposed summer projects will dramatically improve public access and beautify these two most popular public sites adjacent to the Staley Basin.
The shoreline at both locations will have concrete rip rap rock replaced with a new shoreline protection system. Adding decorative ledgestone retaining walls will reduce soil erosion and improve visitor access. Picnic tables, information signs, and landscape plantings will also be installed. If approved, the projects are tentatively scheduled to start in July and be completed in August 2024.
A second, nearly identical informational sign will be installed at the Staley Boat Ramps once the improvement project is complete.
