Ask Outdoors Girl: What's the deal with the delay at Lapidum?

Richard Frazier writes: Improvements to the floating pier at Lapidum were originally scheduled to be completed by April 15. A Natural Resources Police officer told me the work has been delayed by a broken drill bit and the new completion deadline is May 15. Fishing at Lapidum is at its best in April and May, when rockfish, shad and white perch make their runs. I cannot believe it takes one month to acquire a new drill bit. Many people fish from the shore during the shad run from late April through May. The Department of Natural Resources told me that I cannot fish from the shoreline during construction for safety reasons. All construction work is being done at the south end of the ramp area. I see no reason why this section cannot be fenced off to leave two-thirds of the lot shoreline to be safely used by anglers. The April l5 deadline was bad enough; May 15 is a complete disaster.

Outdoors Girl replies: The Lapidum ramp at Susquehanna State Park below Conowingo Dam is a great spring fishing location, and I understand the frustration of anglers. The Department of General Services, which is in charge of the project, met Friday to discuss progress. The problem has nothing to do with a broken drill bit; it has to do with what broke the bit. Overcoming conditions in the river bottom will take a couple of weeks to sort out. That's why the completion date has been pushed back to mid- to late May. The DGS project manager said late Friday afternoon that workers will be fencing an area to allow fishing.