Study of lodge plan moves to next stage
ODNR gave a mixed
response on whether to proceed with the project
By ED RUNYAN
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
WARREN — Trumbull County commissioners are expected to contribute $7,500 today toward the $45,000 next phase of the Mosquito Lake lodge and indoor water park.
This phase would involve paying $25,000 to the Gateway Consultants Group Inc. of Cleveland to secure proposals from private developers interested in building the facility.
An additional $20,000 would be used to prepare an architectural rendering of the facility for marketing purposes and to pay for research into legal issues.
Commissioners Dan Polivka and Frank Fuda said Tuesday they plan to approve the request from Trumbull 100, a business and philanthropical group, at today’s commissioners meeting.
The Trumbull County Tourism Bureau will provide an additional $7,500.
Cortland Mayor Curt Moll said the county’s contributions would be added to $5,000 from the City of Cortland, $5,000 from the Western Reserve Building & Construction Trades Council and about $20,000 from Trumbull 100.
Polivka said he discussed the project about five weeks ago with officials from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, which contributed $25,000 to an $85,000 feasibility study conducted last fall and winter.
Though ODNR gave a “mixed response” on whether to proceed with the project, Polivka said he felt the project is “worth looking into.”
Moll said ODNR officials expressed concern that the lodge might compete with existing Geneva and Punderson state park lodges. Moll said he thinks Mosquito Lake offers enough different activities, however, that it would not take business away from the others.
Moll said the lodge would be built on land owned by the Army Corps of Engineers that is leased to ODNR. It is in Cortland, just north of the Lake Vista retirement community on state Route 46 on the east side of the lake.
The Gateway Consultants Group conducted a feasibility study in late 2006 and early 2007 that determined in April that a lodge would be feasible on the state land if it included an indoor/outdoor water park. It said the water park would be needed to provide a year-round attraction.
Thomas Chema, chairman of the Gateway Consultants Group, said the study recommended building a $17 million lodge containing 80 to 100 rooms, a full-service restaurant and conference facilities.
County commissioners did not contribute directly to the feasibility study, but the county’s tourism bureau contributed $10,000 and the county-funded Western Reserve Port Authority contributed $10,000.
runyan@vindy.com