Erosion topic of Ohio agencies meeting with local administrations

State Sen. Kenny Yuko, State Rep. John Rogers and Willowick Mayor Rich Regovich will be hosting a town hall to discuss options available for property owners whose properties have been affected by erosion caused by Lake Erie.

The meeting is intended to provide administrators, mayors and council members with information they can pass on to residents regarding available options on fixing or preventing damage.

The Ohio Department of Natural Resources and the Office of Costal Management will be on hand to offer guidance on protecting lakefront properties and preventing further damage.

Rogers, a Mentor-onthe-Lake Democrat, says he has received phone calls from residents in several cities asking what can be done about the erosion damage to their properties.

He also noted that with changes in local administrations and councils, many might not be aware of how to address the issues when constituents approach them.

After learning from ODNR about things residents can do, Rogers said he felt the best option was to meet with the various administrations at a centralized location and bring everybody up to speed at once.

One of the issues being faced, according to Yuko, a Richmond Heights Democrat, is what can be done about the amount of property being lost due to erosion.

“There are the property owners who have the benefit of the lake in their backyard against the residents who don’t, so, who is going to pay for this,” Yuko said. “There is not a simple fix; there is not a simple solution. There is a need for the state reps, senators, ODNR and the Army Corps of Engineers to have a discussion about it who pays for what’s involved to fix it.”

Yuko said he too has a lot of questions but not a lot of answers and agreed the best course of action is to get everybody together.

The meeting will be heat 6 p.m. June 14 at the Northern Career Center Institute-Eastlake Campus, 34050 Glen Drive.

Although the meeting is geared toward administrations, anyone is welcome to attend.

Rich Regovich, left, John Rogers and Kenny Yuko