TRUMBULL COUNTY Panel favors lodge on state land

The lodge would have to be busy enough to pay for itself, commissioners said.
By ED RUNYAN
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
WARREN -- Trumbull County commissioners like the idea of a lodge being built on land owned by the state at Mosquito Lake State Park.
They are not so sure they want to be its owner, however.
The commissioners heard a presentation Tuesday from Atty. William Letson of the civic and business group Trumbull 100 on what the county could contribute to make the idea a reality.
First, Trumbull County would kick in $20,000 toward an $80,000 feasibility study to be done by the Gateway Consultants Group Inc., developers of such projects as Jacobs Field and Gund Arena in Cleveland.
Second, the county would serve as administrators of the project the way Ashtabula County administered construction of the lodge at Geneva State Park, Letson said.
Better choice
After the meeting, Commissioner James Tsagaris said the lodge idea "sounds great" -- but "we don't want to lead it." He added that he thinks Trumbull 100 might be a better choice for that job.
Letson, meanwhile, told the commissioners during his presentation that he didn't think Trumbull 100 could lead the campaign to get the lodge built. The county has existing operations that can administer such projects and their financing, he explained.
He said none of the other parties being asked to join the project would have the means to lead it, such as Cortland city or Bazetta Township.
Also, it isn't even clear on which side of the lake the lodge would be built, he said. Cortland is on the east side. Bazetta surrounds the lake to the west and south. Mecca surrounds the lake to the north.
Letson said he thinks the a lodge here could attract visitors from as far away as Pittsburgh, Cleveland and Columbus and could be a "tremendous boost to Trumbull County. We have a great asset that is being underused."
Working on project
He named a long list of elected officials who are working on behalf of the project, such as U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan of Niles, D-17th; Gov. Bob Taft; state Rep. Randy Law of Warren, R-64th; and state Sen. Marc Dann of Liberty, D-32nd.
Cortland Mayor Curt Moll told city leaders a week ago there is land available just outside the city limits on North Mecca Street that is owned by the state that could be a possible site. It has sewer and water services available. Another possible location is near the state park at the southwestern tip of the reservoir.
Letson said funding for the feasibility study would come from the state ($25,000), Trumbull 100 ($25,000), Trumbull County ($20,000), Cortland ($10,000), Bazetta ($5,000) and Mecca ($2,000 to $3,000). The study would look at such items as lodging occupancy, business climate and potential for business meetings, clientele, competition among existing lodges, access to water and sewer, and marketing.
In the case of the Geneva lodge, the state leased land to Ashtabula County. The county designed the project with the help of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Letson said. The county sold bonds for financing and has a 30-year lease; a company was brought in to run the lodge, which offers 109 guest rooms, a full-service restaurant and conference facilities.
Worried about winter
Trumbull County Commissioner Paul Heltzel said he has been to the Geneva lodge and found that occupancy apparently wasn't very high in the winter -- because he didn't need a reservation.
"I'm with you in momentum," Heltzel told Letson of the lodge idea, but he added that he would like to talk to Ashtabula County commissioners to get a better idea of how the lodge was funded.
Commissioner Daniel Polivka said he is concerned about whether off-season occupancy might leave the county responsible for a building that wasn't paying for itself.
"I think it [the lodge] would be great, but we don't want to be holding a building that doesn't have occupancy," he said.
runyan@vindy.com