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06-10-2004, 12:17 PM
News Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 3, 2004
LAST PHASE OF RESORT LODGE STUDY AT GRAND LAKE ST. MARYS TO BEGIN IN JUNE
Study will determine profitability of possible future resort
CELINA, OH - State and local officials will conduct a market feasibility study to determine the financial viability of a resort lodge at Grand Lake St. Marys State Park in Mercer and Auglaize counties. The Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) is coordinating the study. The study will evaluate several factors, including possible local partnerships, travel and tourism data, demographics, population projections, highway access, potential customers and residential and commercial growth. Consultants for ODNR will interview local government, business and community leaders to determine if the region can support a resort. That effort began today with a press conference at Wright State University Lake Campus Auditorium.
"The idea of having a resort lodge at Grand Lake St. Marys has been a popular one for several years," said Dan West, chief of Ohio State Parks. "This study will help determine whether or not such a facility would be a financially sound investment."
The Lake Development Corporation, a group that promotes economic development in the Grand Lake St. Marys region, first suggested building a resort lodge at Grand Lake St. Marys in 1999. Wright State University, a major landholder in the area, joined the initiative as a potential partner in the development and operation of a lodge.
The study is funded by $150,000 in state appropriations and $30,000 from Wright State University, Lake Campus. For more than two years, the state and local team members from the Grand Lake St. Marys community have been working to create a study model that can be used to test the viability of a resort lodge at any state park, including Grand Lake. While consultants from The Collaborative Inc. of Toledo have been guiding the study model, Leon Younger & Pros of Indianapolis, Indiana will be conducting the final phase of the feasibility study.
There are nine state park resorts, including Maumee Bay, Punderson, Mohican, Salt Fork, Burr Oak, Shawnee, Hueston Woods, Deer Creek, and the newest addition, Geneva, which opened in May. Geneva Lodge in Ashtabula County is the first state park lodge to be constructed and managed with local funds on state-owned parkland. The state believes this new innovative partnership will serve as the role model for any future lodge developments.
Grand Lake St. Marys was built in 1837 as a reservoir to maintain water depth in the Miami-Erie Canal. The 13,500-acre lake became part of the state park system in 1949. Today, nearly 700,000 outdoor enthusiasts visit Grand Lake St. Marys State Park each year.
-30-
For additional news online, check out the ODNR Press Room at Ohiodnr.com
For Further Information Contact:
David Stites, ODNR Division of Parks and Recreation (614) 265-6536
-or-
Andrea Misko, ODNR Media Relations
(614) 265-6882
-or-
Julie Miller, Wright State University Lake Campus
(419) 586-0375
http://www.dnr.state.oh.us/news/jun04/0603grandlklodge.htm
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 3, 2004
LAST PHASE OF RESORT LODGE STUDY AT GRAND LAKE ST. MARYS TO BEGIN IN JUNE
Study will determine profitability of possible future resort
CELINA, OH - State and local officials will conduct a market feasibility study to determine the financial viability of a resort lodge at Grand Lake St. Marys State Park in Mercer and Auglaize counties. The Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) is coordinating the study. The study will evaluate several factors, including possible local partnerships, travel and tourism data, demographics, population projections, highway access, potential customers and residential and commercial growth. Consultants for ODNR will interview local government, business and community leaders to determine if the region can support a resort. That effort began today with a press conference at Wright State University Lake Campus Auditorium.
"The idea of having a resort lodge at Grand Lake St. Marys has been a popular one for several years," said Dan West, chief of Ohio State Parks. "This study will help determine whether or not such a facility would be a financially sound investment."
The Lake Development Corporation, a group that promotes economic development in the Grand Lake St. Marys region, first suggested building a resort lodge at Grand Lake St. Marys in 1999. Wright State University, a major landholder in the area, joined the initiative as a potential partner in the development and operation of a lodge.
The study is funded by $150,000 in state appropriations and $30,000 from Wright State University, Lake Campus. For more than two years, the state and local team members from the Grand Lake St. Marys community have been working to create a study model that can be used to test the viability of a resort lodge at any state park, including Grand Lake. While consultants from The Collaborative Inc. of Toledo have been guiding the study model, Leon Younger & Pros of Indianapolis, Indiana will be conducting the final phase of the feasibility study.
There are nine state park resorts, including Maumee Bay, Punderson, Mohican, Salt Fork, Burr Oak, Shawnee, Hueston Woods, Deer Creek, and the newest addition, Geneva, which opened in May. Geneva Lodge in Ashtabula County is the first state park lodge to be constructed and managed with local funds on state-owned parkland. The state believes this new innovative partnership will serve as the role model for any future lodge developments.
Grand Lake St. Marys was built in 1837 as a reservoir to maintain water depth in the Miami-Erie Canal. The 13,500-acre lake became part of the state park system in 1949. Today, nearly 700,000 outdoor enthusiasts visit Grand Lake St. Marys State Park each year.
-30-
For additional news online, check out the ODNR Press Room at Ohiodnr.com
For Further Information Contact:
David Stites, ODNR Division of Parks and Recreation (614) 265-6536
-or-
Andrea Misko, ODNR Media Relations
(614) 265-6882
-or-
Julie Miller, Wright State University Lake Campus
(419) 586-0375
http://www.dnr.state.oh.us/news/jun04/0603grandlklodge.htm