Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Regional Recreation And Water Management topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
MWCD outlines Atwood Lake upgrades, says royalties used for capital not operations
Summary
Muskingum Watershed Conservancy District officials told Carroll County commissioners they exceeded 2025 budget expectations and outlined projects at Atwood Lake — including five rental tree houses, larger cottage lease lots, beach redesign and new amenities — and said oil-and-gas royalties fund capital projects while operations rely on recreation revenue and leases.
Craig Butler, executive director of the Muskingum Watershed Conservancy District, told the Carroll County Board of Commissioners on March 26 that the district met its 2025 budget expectations and exceeded them by about $2 million. Butler said MWCD’s operating budget is about $25,500,000 and that the district receives roughly $40 million to $50 million a year in oil-and-gas royalties, which MWCD does not use for day-to-day operations.
Butler described several projects that affect Carroll County. The first phase of five elevated platform “tree houses,” each about 600–800 square feet, is planned at Atwood Lake and is expected to be available for rent next spring. MWCD is also clearing 18 larger cottage lease lots, ranging from about one-third of an acre to slightly more than an acre, that would be available for people to build cottages.
Butler said the Peninsula project remains under design and that MWCD intends to sign an agreement with Atwood Regional Water and Sewer to provide water and sewer service for the Pines and Peninsula projects. MWCD is also planning a redesign of the Atwood beach area and snack shop on the Carroll County side, including removal of an aging changing house and new recreational amenities such as a pickleball court, bocce court and a water-park style splash pad.
MWCD staff told commissioners the district is building a private endowment to support long-term work and that it uses a mix of recreation revenue, agricultural leases and sustainable forestry income to fund operations. Butler said dredging is largely scheduled for winter when lakes are drawn down and that assessments charged to parcels have been reduced over time — from about $12 to $6 and now the $2 state minimum — because the district has been using royalty revenue to offset some costs of shoreline and dam work.
Commissioners raised local concerns about flood-prone areas in Carroll County, including the Barnhouse allotment, and asked MWCD to work with county officials to identify and address sites that become isolated during storm events. MWCD staff also said they plan a small canoe and kayak launch ramp at Dellroy and are designing a walking trail intended to connect Cemetery Bay around the lake to Dellroy.
The presentation emphasized MWCD’s continuing mission of flood mitigation, recreation and conservation, and the district said the new projects are intended to increase visitation and support long-term maintenance without raising parcel assessments. The commissioners did not act on any MWCD requests during the meeting.
