Group discusses Katy Allen Lake Project

Wednesday, October 30, 2013

Nevada Daily Mail

A steering committee interested in revitalizing Katy Allen Lake met in the diner at the Vernon County fairgrounds on Tuesday to discuss the possibilities, problems and effort needed to see such a project through to completion. Members of the Vernon County Commission, representatives of the Missouri Department of Conservation, Soil Conservation Service, civic organizations and local residents were welcomed by Presiding Commissioner Bonnie McCord and introduced to Sydney Wipff of the Kaysinger Basin Regional Planning Commission, which has partnered with the county on the project.

McCord said one purpose of the meeting was "to come up with some long term goals" for the project, and Wipff said Kaysinger Basin hoped to "gather information that would be helpful for us and that we wouldn't otherwise know." It's going to take public input to get anything done.

Mike Brigman lives near the lake and said the 8.7 acre lake is "a very busy place." Brigman said a "lot of people take their lunch break there, fish there." The lake is used throughout the day. People often sit and eat or just drive through looking for wildlife. Visitors can often see deer, turkeys, ducks, geese and other species of local or migratory wildlife.

Over the years the lake has been known to produce some big fish too. Tom Priesenedorf, a fisheries biologist for the MDC was on hand to offer some technical information and advice about some of the directions the project could take. Priesendorf was quick to point out that there are some challenges to the project. First, he said the watershed feeding the lake is more than 600 acres and a lake of that size should only be draining about 120 acres.

He also mentioned the dam, which had to be lowered several years ago. He said it would need constant attention to make sure it doesn't weaken if the lake is dredged and deepened. And then there is the fact that much of the runoff from that 600 acres is contaminated with vehicle waste from the four lane roads surrounding the little park and chemical runoff from the rest of the area. Those waste products can introduce harmful heavy metals into the sediment of the lake and super nutrients into the lake that encourage out of control weed and algae growth.

Priesendorf said if things worked out, his department has a community assistance program that would allow stocking of the lake with fish, but it would not cover any weed or algae control. Priesendorf said his department would consider the project an enhancement more than a renovation. He went on to say that one of the best things that could be done would be to encourage the landowners adjacent to the lake to incorporate good soil conservation practices into their land use programs.

A number of possibilities for the improvements wanted by some were discussed.

One of the first things mentioned was a public restroom. Currently there is an old, wooden outhouse on the property that is being used, although those in attendance at the meeting characterized it as "nasty."

Hiking trails and bike trails were mentioned as well as the possibility of building a disabled accessible fishing jetty out into the lake. Someone mentioned that given the absence of toxic materials in the sediment dredged from the lake that sediment could be used to build the jetty. There were a lot of "ifs" during the meeting. Some of them hinged on the Youth Fair Board.

The board wants some things done at the fairgrounds that may fit into the lake project, but some of those things depend on whether Kansas City Power and Light Company would be willing to put in the infrastructure needed for some of the improvements. The sewers are adequate, Northern Commissioner Neal Gerster said they were all upgraded when the new jail was built. The land near the jail was also mentioned as a possible new entry point for the lake. The county has deed to all of the land around the jail, the lake and the fairgrounds, but that portion of the property considered as fairgrounds is "deed restricted" in that it must be used for the youth of the county.

Committee Member Tom Hissink said there was a lot of community interest in the lake and that was an advantage. Dr. Jason Miesenhiemer was on hand to represent the Nevada Elks lodge and said his organization has partnered with the city to make Davis Park more of a veterans centered park, but he could see the possibility of the Elks becoming involved in the lake project too. He mentioned a competitive grant that may be available for such a project. And finally, the bottom line. "Who is going to pay for all of this?" asked former Vernon County Southern Commissioner Kennon Shaw.

There is no answer to that question at this time. Each group, governmental entity and organization will have to do some homework and try to find as much free money as possible to get the project funded. And this was just the first meeting. Each member of the committee agreed to pursue their ideas further and Wipff and others agreed to do more research into the lake, its history, and possible sources of money as well as other resources available for the project before the next meeting.

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