BUCKEYE LAKE

Buckeye Lake timelines questioned; residents want answers

Anna Bisaro
abisaro@gannett.com

BUCKEYE LAKE – The timeline for the Buckeye Lake Dam Improvement project presented at the open house in Millersport Wednesday night surprised some state officials just as much as residents.

“It just doesn’t square with information I have,” State Sen. Jay Hottinger, R-Newark, said Thursday afternoon. “We need to paint a picture that is a more realistic picture.”

Hottinger said he does not think water levels will be down at winter pool until 2019. The water may not come back up to full pool before then, but Hottinger said the information he has points to water levels being able to be raised by some margin after Phase I of construction is completed.

“ODNR is being very cautious,” he said. “I would say overly cautious.”

The director of communications for the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Bethany McCorkle, said there is potential that water levels at Buckeye Lake could come up.

“We will continue to work as safely as possible to replace the dam and bring it into dam safety compliance, which would potentially allow for water levels to be raised sooner,” she said Thursday.

Rep. Bill Hayes, R-Harrison Township, said he also was surprised by the 2019 end date.

“I hope the timeline we saw yesterday is a worst-case scenario,” Hayes said Thursday. “We’ll find out more soon.”

Hayes said he is hopeful water levels will be raised sooner than 2019 as well.

“I don’t know anyone that is sure of that (happening),” he said.

Open house

In an open house with Buckeye Lake stakeholders Wednesday night, engineers from the ODNR and Gannett Fleming, the chosen design firm for the project, said that Phase I of construction will be completed in the spring of 2017.

Once those risk mitigation measures are in place, construction on the new dam could begin, they said.

Hottinger said he thinks the ODNR is worried about making promises and then under-delivering.

“I don’t want people’s hopes to be crushed by an incredibly cautious timetable,” he said.

In a news conference last month, Gov. John Kasich said the Buckeye Lake Dam Improvement project may be finished sooner than originally predicted.

“Getting Buckeye Lake back to normal as soon as possible is a priority for Gov. Kasich, and he shares the community urgency in getting this project done,” Jim Lynch, a spokesman for the governor’s administration, said Thursday.

Seeking better communication

Several community organizations at Buckeye Lake announced the creation of a Citizen’s Advisory Group on Thursday morning. The group has been created in the hope of ensuring better communication between the ODNR and the Buckeye Lake community.

According to Buckeye Lake Region Chamber of Commerce President Tim Ryan, the group will have eight members representing all interests of lake area residents, from businesses to homeowners to environmentalists.

Paul Rizzo, of Rizzo and Associates, also will be a member of the advisory group. Rizzo completed an independent study of the Buckeye Lake Dam in May for the chamber.

Members of the advisory group will be meeting with representatives of Gannett Fleming on Monday, Ryan said.

As for Hottinger’s statements that the future at Buckeye Lake may not be as bleak as portrayed Wednesday, Ryan said he does not buy it.

“That is the same story that Jay Hottinger has been saying for nine months,” Ryan said.

Ryan said until the ODNR changes its predictions, he will not be convinced of any accelerated timetable.

abisaro@gannett.com

740-328-8822

Twitter: @abisaro_NEW