Puget Sound Energy’s Baker River Hydroelectric Project in Concrete, WA, has a newly renovated visitor center known as the Club House and a new day-use park at the Lake Shannon Boat Ramp.
The renovated Club House features exhibits addressing the evolution of the site and its history as well as PSE history in the region. Certain spaces are preserved for visitors to interpret the structure and its stories.
The location of the Club House is a historical site that once contained industrial buildings and remnants of a 20th-century cement factory. PSE repurposed the 1914 concrete building constructed by Washington Portland Cement Company into the Baker River Club House Visitor Center. The facility is a gateway to access the unique recreational opportunities the Baker River dam has to offer so visitors can enjoy and appreciate the area’s abundant cultural and natural resources. The Club House is now open and regular hours will be Wednesday to Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. during the summer.
About three miles up the road from the Club House are the Lake Shannon Boat ramp and a new day-use park that offers guests a large picnic shelter with picnic tables, three barbecue grills and six small picnic sites with tables. PSE also installed around a quarter of a mile of sidewalks and trails featuring native restoration landscaping. The day-use park will be open from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily from now through October 31. It will be closed to drive-in traffic from November 1 through April 14 annually.
The renovation project and new park were all part of PSE’s Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) License agreement to create a better area for visitors. The 50-year operating license was issued to PSE in October of 2008. Learn more about the Baker River Hydroelectric Project by visiting www.pse.com/pages/hydro-licensing/licensing-baker-river-project.