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Commissioners approve $186,000 ARPA allocation for Webster Lake hydrological study toward dam repair and conservancy district
Summary
Following the ARPA committee recommendation, commissioners approved $186,000 in ARPA funds to pay for a hydrological study for Webster Lake dam repair and to support creation of a conservancy district; the ARPA and commissioners’ approvals must be followed by county council action and a signed contract before year-end.
Kosciusko County commissioners voted to approve an ARPA allocation of $186,000 to fund a hydrological study for Webster Lake, a step the Webster Lake Conservation Association (WLCA) presented as necessary to plan dam repairs and to form a conservancy district. WLCA representatives told the board the study is the next technical step in a multi-part effort to reconstruct the Webster Lake dam and to create a special-benefit conservancy district covering roughly 1,253 parcels identified in a pre-engineering plan.
WLCA representatives described prior work and fundraising: a pre-engineering report, initial engineering costs (reported as approximately $68,000), expert witness fees and a portion of attorney fees required to prepare a petition to create the district. The association reported it had raised roughly $180,000 from residents and businesses toward project costs and requested county ARPA funds to cover the hydrological study. WLCA cited an economic-impact analysis (the Lilly Center, 2018) used to estimate the lakes’ contribution to the county’s economy and provided draft conservancy boundary maps showing primary and special-benefit districts.
The ARPA committee had previously recommended funding the hydrological study; commissioners moved and seconded approval. Several presenters and commissioners noted additional approvals are required: the county council must also approve ARPA disbursement, and a signed contract must be in place before the end of the calendar year for the funds to be encumbered and spent in the current ARPA cycle. Commissioners approved the request on voice vote and asked staff to present required contract documents to the county council.
WLCA said further technical work will include geotechnical studies (estimated at $100,000) and a more detailed engineering inspection (estimated at $50,000) for the dam; WLCA representatives said they continue fundraising for those steps. Commissioners recorded their approval of the ARPA allocation but noted formal contract execution and council approval remain prerequisites for disbursing the funds.
