From letters to the Army Corps of Engineers
Explanation by John Estridge
Explanation: For many years county commissioners from Franklin and Union counties and others from those communities have tried to get development around Brookville Lake.
When Brookville Lake was created, the federal government took thousands of acres off the property tax rolls, reducing the amount of money coming into local budgets. Also, after trying for many years to get some amount of money off gate sales, all efforts have been fruitless.
Local costs go up for governmental entities due to the tremendous amount of people coming into the area over the summer. Brookville Lake/Whitewater State Memorial Complex is the most-visited state park in Indiana.
There are bridges over the lake the county must maintain. Emergency runs increase for EMS, police and others.
Union County and Franklin County Commissioners as a whole and specifically Union County Commissioner Tim Williams is really putting forth and effort to have the Army Corps open up for commercial development around the lake. This would add jobs for local residents and tax revenue for local government entities.
In 1979, Army Corps put out a master plan for the lake and it included development. None of those plans came into being. Recently, the Corps penned a newer plan, and it does not have any of the development ideas shown in the 1979 document.
Senator Todd Young, Congressman Greg Pence, State Senator Jeff Raatz and State Representative Randy Lyness all penned letters to the Corps. These are their letters:
We are writing in support of expanding recreational development in the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Louisville District 2020 Brookville Lake Master Plan. Located between Franklin and Union Counties of Southeast Indiana, the Brookville Lake Complex – which includes three areas: Mounds State Recreation Area (SRA), Quakertown SRA, and Whitewater Memorial State Park – offers visitors the opportunity to use public land for hiking, camping, hunting, and other water-related recreation. However, there is dire need for economic development and expansion – especially during this challenging economic crisis. If utilized, the land surrounding Brookville Lake has great potential for commercial success. To put it into perspective, currently, there is only one place to eat and one place to buy fuel near the lake. Furthermore, there are just over 2,800 places to stay around the lake – including campsites and vacation rentals – which are supported and maintained by local taxpayers.
Brookville Lake is the 3rd largest state park complex covering around 23,000 acres between Cincinnati, Ohio, and Indianapolis, Indiana. Every year, the Brookville Lake sees over a million visitors from all across the Midwest – typically positioning it as one of the state’s top three most visited state parks. With populations of about 22,000 and 7,200 in Franklin and Union Counties, respectively, the total number of visitors puts a strain on the current infrastructure.
For decades, local communities could have reaped the benefits from additional development around the lake. Today, the surrounding counties want to better meet the needs of the increasing number of tourists. A solution that would assist the local community, cost nothing for the federal government, and would not impair public use, is to open up Brookville Lake’s surrounding land for recreational development. As a result, both Union and Franklin Counties would be able to use the additional revenue to support the ever-increasing infrastructure demands – including emergency services – and rebuild a robust and stable economy.
The USACE’s 1979 Brookville Lake Master Plan included multiple expansion ideas that never came to fruition. For example, the 1979 Master Plan called for a restaurant, campground, and a 6-acre swimming pool complex to be built in the Battlepoint Area. In addition, a lodge/restaurant complex was planned to be built in the Mounds SRA, and cabins were planned in the Quakertown SRA to overlook the lake. Unfortunately, the current iteration of USACE’s 2020 Master Plan does not include any of these major expansions. As the USACE considers public comments, we strongly urge you to consider including additional recreational developments in the 2020 Master Plan, similar to the 1979 Brookville Lake Master Plan. We are confident that further development will bring critical investments to the region and provide the local community with needed economic opportunities.
Thank you for your consideration and please do not hesitate to contact our offices if we can provide any additional information.
Senator Todd Young and Congressman Greg Pence
Col. Eric D. Crispino District Commander U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Louisville District
Dear Col. Crispino,
We are writing in support of an expansion to the Brookville Lake Complex, located in the United States Army Corps of Engineers Louisville District 2020 Brookville Lake Master Plan. This lake is located within our respective districts in Franklin and Union Counties in Southeast Indiana. The Brookville Lake Complex also encompasses three states parks, including Mounds and Whitewater State Parks and Quakertown State Recreation Area. These parks offer my constituents, Hoosiers from across the state and residents of neighboring states a wonderful place to enjoy various outdoor activities such as hiking, swimming and boating. Even though there are many attractions in the area, there does not exist an ample number of businesses to support the influx of visitors to the area. Further development in both Union and Franklin Counties will welcome more business and dining establishments to set up shop in the area, and subsequently generate funding for more services for the people visiting the lake.
Every year, the Brookville Lake Complex sees millions of visitors from all across the state and Midwest to enjoy outdoor activities on its grounds. The surrounding communities currently lack the infrastructure to effectively serve the large number of people visiting the area. Further, there is currently not enough lodging, restaurants or gas stations to serve all visitors. By further expanding the Brookville Lake Complex and opening it up to private development, new businesses will then be able to address the needs of visitors. Not only will visitors benefit from this expansion, but the local communities surrounding the lake complex will benefits from the increase in revenue, as well.
Additionally, residential development seems like a plausible outcome of an expansion to the lake complex. There is a great deal of land outside the 100-year high water mark and outside the flood plain. This would also expand the local tax base to assist in funding necessary public resources such as emergency, police and fire services. Further, Indiana would see increases in retail sales tax revenue, among other opportunities.
The Brookville Lake Master Plan has included multiple expansion ideas over the last several decades that were designed to facilitate growth in the area. However, none of the plans that were drafted ever became a reality. For example, the 1979 Master Plan included plans for a restaurant, campground and a swimming pool. Quakertown State Recreation Area was set to receive similar additions, and Mounds State Park was slated to receive new cabins. Unfortunately, not one of these projects has been completed over forty years later. The 2020 Master Plan does not include any of these major expansions. Therefore, we strongly encourage the inclusion of such plans to be considered for the 2020 Master Plan.
In closing, an expansion of the Brookville Lake Complex will greatly benefit Brookville Lake, the surrounding state parks and the local communities. By granting the expansion and allowing further private development, the area will truly flourish. We ask that you strongly consider our opinion on this matter.
Sincerely, Jeffrey S. Raatz Indiana State Senator Randall J. Lyness Indiana State Representative Randy Lyness