Posted on July 17, 2018
It’s about a million dollars for every 100,000 cubic yards?
Lake Contrary has seen better days — much better days. Now you hardly find where the beach ends and the middle of the lake begins.
It was more like an amusement park than a lake in its prime. It was the place to go during the summer, to be seen at, and just have a good time.
Joan Bennett, current neighborhood association president, remembers that time.
“Prior to 2008, Saturday, Sunday, you couldn’t put another blanket on the beach — you’d have 20 to 23 boats on the lake,” Bennett said. “Slowly but surely it has dwindled down. This year, we haven’t had, maybe a hundred people.”
The cause of the shallow water is silt, but it can be fixed for a price.
“The dredging process is where they would go in and scoop out the main channel … and start dredging outwards toward the shoreline,” said Ron Hook, Western District Commissioner. “It’s about a million dollars for every 100,000 cubic yards of silt that comes out of the lake.”
Hook and the other commissioners have been looking for ways to revitalize the lake without a tax. It’s a matter of finding funds to fix a lake that’s 15 minutes from Downtown St. Joseph.
“I just wish people would have this as a lake and a beach that could be used,” Hook said. “We just need the support of the local people to give us the information on whether they want it or not.”
The correlation seems to be, as the lake gets more shallow — fewer people. Joan Bennett has had a front-seat view, as her house sits on the lakefront. But she also can imagine the result from the right investment.
“To be able to see boaters on the lake, sailboats, stand-up sailboats, swimmers, people enjoying the lake — that is the thrill of living on a lake,” Bennett said.
Source: News-PressNOW.com
