Divided Council Fails to Move Forward with Lake Purchase
Barnesville Village Council members were divided last week on whether to purchase 407 acres, including a large lake, for $1.7 million, with newer members ultimately saying they need more time to decide.
Mayor Jake Hershberger raised the topic of the planned purchase of Long Run Lake from Capstone Holding Co. The site 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.
At the Dec. 29 meeting, Solicitor Richard Myser had recommended that council obtain a title insurance policy on the transaction for a premium of $5,559, since the limit of his liability insurance is $1 million. Council voted unanimously in favor of buying title insurance at that time, which was before members Lindsay Dowdle, Mark Lucas, Brad English and Cole Carpenter, who were elected in November, had taken their seats.
Discussion of the subject last week became a lengthy debate, with residents and village leaders weighing in with different perspectives.
Myser explained that the village had 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 the village is at the point where Hershberger can sign to close the deal, but that the administration and the previous council had opted to allow the new council to conduct a voice vote to approve the purchase before it is finalized. This was done as a courtesy to the newly elected members.
“So do we have anything on paper that says how much water they’re selling out of it?” Lucas asked, referring to previous comments that indicate the village will be able to pay for the purchase within three years by selling bulk water from the reservoir for gas and oil drilling operations.
Hershberger said he did not, but added that he has requested that information. He said his contact, Danny Taylor, quickly looked at water sales in 2025 and texted that sales for that year amounted to $450,000.
Lucas countered that a village worker had told him water from the reservoir could not be used in the community’s water treatment plant.
“So why are we buying something we can’t use?” Lucas asked.
Hershberger replied, “It is treatable in our plant.”
Lucas disagreed, saying the worker told him the water was too “hard” to be treated there. Hershberger said the “hardness,” or dissolved mineral content, is not a factor. He referred additional questions to engineer Brian May of the St. Clairsville based May Engineering Co., who was present at the meeting.
May said Capstone did not supply written records regarding past years’ water sales at the site, prompting Lucas to refer to the planned purchase as “just gambling.” Hershberger, however, said that water sales opportunities “are there.” He said Capstone did not go out and seek such sales and noted that the village has turned down opportunities to sell water to companies that had approached village leaders.
Resident T.J. Jefferis, a local developer, spoke on the matter. He said he grew up hunting and trapping in the area of Long Run Road.
“We got more watershed there than we do at Slope Creek and your other two reservoirs put together,” Jefferis said. “It does not have the capacity to hold it – it’s a watershed. What you have there is tremendous. You know, we’re talking about 9-10,000 acres of watershed. And most of it’s coming from Barnesville.”
He said the water runs off the Sandy Ridge area down to State Route 148 and down toward State Route 147 at Bethesda and down from State/County Route 26 down to State Route 148 again.
“That’s a watershed. That’s a natural resource,” he continued. “You know, we’ve had coal, and it’s pretty well gone here. We’ve got gas that we’re making money off now. Someday it’s going to be gone. But water’s a natural resource too, and it’s always going to be here.
“You got a tremendous watershed here that you guys got an opportunity to buy,” he added. “Hey, if it don’t work out, I guarantee you you could sell it to somebody. I know people who would buy it today, because I’ve been holding them off for a year not to buy it so you guys can buy it.”
He pointed out there is a waterline along Sandy Ridge and one along State Route 147 that leads to Bethesda that could be used to supply water to Belmont County in an emergency, both of which could be used to draw water from Long Run Lake.
He urged council to take a chance and make this investment in the future.
Former village councilman Tony Johnson who was present agreed that the lake would be a great resource. He said the village couldn’t afford to do a study to build a reservoir like it today. He said the fact that the community could sell some bulk water from it is a bonus, terming the village the “envy of the Ohio Valley.”
English inquired about the process of linking the lake to the treatment plant. Johnson said it is a “50-year project,” but noted the village could install a temporary, overland line within 72 hours in case of emergency.
Former councilman Steve Hill spoke in opposition to the plan. He said council voted in April 2022 to dissolve the same purchase for $850,000. He said information he had obtained indicates no water had been sold from the lake this year or in 2025. He asked Councilman Terry McCort if council has a contract to sell water for the next three years. McCort said no, because the village doesn’t own it yet.
Hill also said the Ohio Department of Natural Resources has said the dam at the lake needs to be repaired, and he questioned the cost of that work.
Hershberger said the previous $850,000 price tag was for the lake only and did not include the 407 acres of watershed surrounding it. He said the village wants that property so it can protect the watershed. He added that Gulfport Energy had tried to contract to buy bulk water from the site, but Capstone had declined because it expected the village to purchase the property and said Gulfport could deal directly with the community.
Hill argued that the village does not own watershed acreage around its existing reservoirs. That point was disputed by village leaders and Jefferis.
May then spoke to the integrity of the reservoir. He said he had evaluated the dam for Capstone about four years ago. He said the main drain valve is broken and needs to be replaced. His cost estimate was about $350,000 three years ago, while Hershberger said he believed it was less than $200,000.
Regarding the dam, May said there are “no signs of any sloughing, no signs of any failure. It’s holding its shape very very well and it’s in very very good shape.
Hill then raised the question of the cost of insuring the property, citing an incident in which an individual fell through the ice on the pond at the water treatment plant. He stressed that Long Run Lake is also 4 miles outside of the village. He suggested putting the question on the ballot in May so residents can vote on whether to approve the purchase because “it’s a lot of money.”
“But I honestly believe it’s the best for the village of Barnesville,” Hershberger said.
McCort then spoke up.
“I think it’s a good investment, Steve,” he said.
Lucas asked Hershberger to negotiate a contract with Gulfport prior to making the purchase. Hershberger said he did not think he could do that. English inquired about a letter of intent instead. Hershberger said Antero already has expressed interest in buying water from the village this year but noted that other companies may already have secured their sources for this year.
Prompted by a question from Lucas, Village Administrator Roger Deal said the village is able to draw its existing sources down 3 feet before stopping bulk water sales.
After continued talk about planned well pads and potential data center construction, all of which would require bulk water, Dowdle asked if a town hall-style meeting could be scheduled to allow the public to weigh in. Lucas supported that idea, but Hershberger said it might be difficult to schedule and that the time has come to close on the sale.
After some additional discussion, McCort spoke up again.
“You guys, it’s a good investment. It’s a good thing to do, and it’s the right thing to do,” he said. “We should do it, just based on what we’ve seen out at Slope Creek, based on past things that we’ve done. I think you can always find a negative in anything, but the result is, if we do have an opportunity to make back the money on this through water sale, and we’ve got the water sales from Slope Creek to prove that we can sell water and we do know how to do that.”
Dowdle asked to discuss the acquisition in executive session, but Hershberger was skeptical that a property transaction at this advanced stage would qualify to be discussed behind closed doors out of view of the public.
“I’m champing at the bit,” McCort said, noting that the prior council had already approved the purchase.
Myser agreed that council essentially has completed the purchase and that the courtesy to vote was being extended to the newer members.
“In my opinion, we should just go ahead and move forward with it,” McCort said.
Hershberger said if the newer members did not want to vote in the matter and if Myser is comfortable with him signing the paperwork, he could simply move ahead with the closing. Myser agreed that the mayor could do that.
McCort made a motion to move forward with the purchase of Long Run Road reservoir. Councilwoman Robyn Misner seconded the motion. McCort, Carpenter and Misner voted “yes,” Lucas voted an emphatic “no,” while English and Dowdle abstained, saying they need more information. Hershberger felt that the split vote resulted in passage of the motion, because the abstentions would count as absences. Myser, however, determined that “Robert’s Rules of Order” for public meetings requires a majority of members present, which was not achieved.
McCort apologized for pushing the issue on the newer members, and English expressed that he needed more time to make an informed decision.
“I’m not comfortable voting on something that just got put in my lap for $1.7 million,” English said.
Near the end of the meeting, Myser said he would need to prepare a resolution to terminate the contract to purchase the reservoir. He said he would prepare that legislation for the next meeting at 7 p.m. March 9 at the municipal building. He said he hoped that would allow enough time for the members who abstained to educate themselves about the potential purchase and be able to vote yes or no.
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