Proceed cautiously on sale of Upper Girard Lake

Proceed cautiously on sale
of Upper Girard Lake

Girard City Council’s agreement to advertise for bids to sell all or part of the city’s Upper Girard Lake and surrounding property has an all-too-familiar ring to it.

Several times during the city’s six-year struggle in state-declared fiscal emergency, the idea has been broached as a means to staunch the red ink from the city’s budget.

For various reasons, the idea never gathered significant steam.

Now that the city is well on the road to financial recovery, thanks in large part to the deft leadership of Mayor James Melfi, the idea has surfaced anew. Some trumpet such a sale as a short-term income jackpot and a long-term revenue stream to ensure Girard never again slips back into the abyss of fiscal crisis.

According to Melfi, a private citizen has expressed interest in buying 425 acres of the 525 acres around the lake for residential, commercial and entertainment development.

Don’t act in haste

But before the city rushes into any purchase agreement, the mayor and council members must tread carefully and cautiously.

First, they must do the math. Will any and all short- and long-term income producing benefits offset the millions of dollars spent on buying the lake in 1995 from Consumer Ohio Water Co.? When all interest and principal have been paid, the cost to the city and its taxpayers for Girard Lakes property will be $4.7 million.

Second, the pulse of the Girard community must figure prominently in any sale decision. After all, Girard taxpayers have borne the burden of costs in purchasing and operating the recreational area. Do they believe that such a potential asset to the quality of life in Girard should be preserved and developed, or sold?

Third, today’s city leaders must learn from the mistakes of their predecessors. Back in the 1990s, city officials were duly criticized for the haste in purchasing the Girard Lakes for $2.4 million (A later audit showed the property valued at only about half that amount.) Such mindless expedience contributed heavily to the city’s rapid slide into fiscal emergency.

To his credit, Mayor Melfi has developed a well-oiled recovery plan for the city to ensure its ledgers remain in the black. Time, cost-benefit analyses and community input now must be invested to determine whether selling Upper Girard Lake should be added to that recovery strategy.