Launch brings Buckeye Lake public access to Perry County
The grand opening of a kayak and canoe launch in Thorn Township brought public access to Buckeye Lake in Perry County for the first time.
A grand opening event was held at the site just off Honey Creek Road on Wednesday afternoon.
According to Thorn Township Trustee Bob Coleman, efforts to establish a kayak and canoe launch in their area began in 2017. The township purchased a 20-year, $10 lease for the property where it now sits.
Coleman said Cleveland-based Environmental Design Group designed and engineered the property, then the trustees put the project out for bid twice. They accepted a bid from GM Construction.
The grants received for the project, Coleman explained, were reimbursements and the trustees only appropriated $20,000 per payment to the contractor, so he said it took a long time to get the contracts paid for.
The Ohio Department of Natural Resources, he added, used a dredge to bring water into the area. A soft opening was held in the spring before a sign was installed, identifying the property from the road.
“It’s been four years. It’s been a long haul, but this is for our community,”
Coleman said, adding the launch will serve not only people in their area, but the tri-state area too. “This means everything for economic development of the area and the county.”
According to Coleman, the property owner is seeking to develop the property nearby the site into mixed-use development as a 2,500-foot promenade and housing.
During an informal gathering, Coleman credited Ohio Senator Jay Hottinger, R-newark, with acquiring money for the park through a capital bill, and ODNR for providing a paddle enhancement grant. He added sand at the park was donated by The Shelly Company.
Hottinger referred back to some dark days in the Buckeye Lake area, when the Buckeye Lake dam was in construction. He remembered telling people the area’s brightest days were on the horizon, adding that he now believes the lake has reached those bright days.
“With all the excitement happening at the lake, it’s appropriate and fitting to have Buckeye Lake’s first and only public access to Perry County,” he said, adding despite the poor weather conditions on Wednesday, there would be beautiful days ahead for people to use the launch site.
Ohio Senator Tim Schaffer, R-lancaster, told the crowd he was proud to be there and thanked everyone for their hard work, as well as the vision of local leaders.