Council Votes to Move Ahead with Lake Purchase
The village of Barnesville is moving forward with the purchase of Long Run Lake despite one council member’s “hell no” vote.
Barnesville Village Council members had been divided in February over the proposed purchase of 407 acres, including a large lake, for $1.7 million. Two members who first took their seats in January opted to abstain from voting on the matter Feb. 23, saying they needed more information and time to decide. A third member seated this year has maintained his opposition to the plan, voting against it on two occasions.
Mayor Jake Hershberger advocated for the purchase of Long Run Lake from Capstone Holding Co. – a site that includes a large water reservoir and was once owned by R&F Coal Co. It lies northwest of the intersection of State Routes 26 and 148. The purchase price is $1,725,680.
Solicitor Richard Myser has explained that the village paid $25,000 in late August or early September for a one-year option to purchase the property. He said that amount is non-refundable but added that all necessary steps to complete the purchase had been taken. He said Mayor Jake Hershberger could simply sign to close the deal, but the administration and previous council opted to allow the new council – including Lindsay Dowdle, Mark Lucas, Brad English and Cole Carpenter, who were all elected in November – to conduct a voice vote to approve the purchase before it was finalized.
When Councilman Terry McCort made a motion Feb. 23 to move forward with the purchase, he, Carpenter and Councilwoman Robyn Misner voted “yes,” Lucas voted “no,” and English and Dowdle abstained. Myser said the required affirmative vote of the majority of members present was not achieved.
A similar motion was made again on March 9 following additional discussion of the matter, and the outcome of the vote changed.
Hershberger again raised the subject and asked if council members had any concerns or questions to raise. English responded that he didn’t necessarily believe a voice vote was necessary, since the previous council had officially authorized the purchase. He said numerous residents had been asking him about the project.
“And I think that discussion we had two weeks ago has kind of led to a little bit of unrest,” he added. “There’s a lot of folks talking to me thinking, ‘Oh, we can still negotiate this.’ and ‘ We can get a better deal’ and ‘we can do x, y and z.’ No, we can’t.
“The resolution passed in August of last year. The previous council passed it. The purchase price is set, the acreage is set. So, there is no back and forth negotiation. I just want to make that clear to everybody because I dug into it after the last meeting. …”
English added that the village had received information it requested on water sales from the reservoir over the past year or so.
“Now they don’t want us to disclose a dollar amount, and I’m going to honor that request. I’ve seen the checks myself, and I can say that it’s a substantial percentage of the purchase price,” he said.
Some members of the audience continued to question the need for the purchase and to oppose it, while others spoke in favor of making the move and obtaining possession of the resource.
Herhsberger said he and other village leaders had done their due diligence and had received all documentation requested from the seller.
Former councilman Steve Hill remained staunchly opposed to the plan.
“We’re buying a slurry pond, not a water pond,” he asserted, claiming the water contains heavy metals from coal mining runoff.
Early plans for the site are based on hopes that the village can sell bulk water for natural gas and oil drilling and fracking operations. It has been said those sales could cover the entire purchase price within three years.
Councilman Mark Lucas asked what use the reservoir would be if gas and oil production subsides in the local area, claiming that it can’t be treated at the village’s water plant.
In response to a questions from Hershber, Dowdle said she believed council had received adequate information on the matter. She termed it an “investment on the future” and noted that the property could be sold at any time.
Misner then moved for council to vote to proceed with closing the deal. Carpenter, English, Dowdle, Misner and McCort voted in favor with Lucas casting his vote as “hell no.” The motion passed, and Hershberger was expected to sign the necessary documents to conclude the purchase.
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