By BRENT MARTIN
St. Joseph Post
A public informational meeting will be held August 1st to discuss the future of Lake Contrary.
Buchanan County officials will be available. An expert will describe the methods used to eliminate the existing vegetation that has overtaken the lake.
Presiding County Commissioner Scott Nelson says if Lake Contrary is to be restored, the foliage needs to be removed first.
“It’s not just kill what you see. You’ve got to kill the root ball, because the type of dredging we’re thinking about is hydro-dredging,” Nelson tells host Barry Birr on the KFEQ Hotline. “So, you don’t want to clog up the hydro-dredge with root balls. So, they have to be decomposed; one way, shape, or form they have to be decomposed.”
Lake Contrary, located just south of St. Joseph, no longer resembles a lake. It is overgrown with vegetation. It could take six months to get rid of it.
Nelson estimates the cost of restoring Lake Contrary at $8 million, though he is quick to say that is a high estimate. Nelson sees value in restoring Lake Contrary.
“And I’ve said it before. People will agree. People will disagree. But it is my opinion that if we are able to have a recreational lake in our county, I think that’s a good thing.”
Nelson says some counties assess a dedicated tax for such projects, but he doesn’t believe that will be necessary.
“I don’t want to do that,” Nelson says. “I don’t want to raise taxes. I want to do it with whatever money we have, soft money which I call it. I don’t want to raise taxes to do it.”
Such soft money, according to Nelson, includes interests accrued on various accounts.
Buchanan County has scheduled an informational meeting on the future of Lake Contrary August 1st. The public meeting begins at six o’clock Thursday, August 1st, at the Remington Nature Center.
You can follow Brent on X @GBrentKFEQ and St. Joseph Post @StJosephPost.