BUCYRUS — About 35 people packed the Bucyrus City Council Chambers at City Hall on Monday evening for a meeting regarding the fate of the Pines Reservoir, also called City Reservoir No. 2.

Dan Wirebaugh, chair of the Bucyrus City Council Public Lands and Buildings Committee, began the meeting with a timeline beginning in 2016 with the current administration’s responses to the issues at the dam-style reservoir that began in 1978.

Below is a copy of Wirebaugh’s Pines Reservoir Timeline:

  • March 31, 2016- from TF (Telegraph-Forum) “Our administration has considered presenting to City Council the option to sell Pines Reservoir since we do not use it for water supply,” Reser said.
  • August 6, 2017- from TF Local attorney interested in buying Pines Reservoir “We can’t do anything until we have the property’s value assessed,” Reser said.
  • February 12, 2018 from TF- Crawford County Parks District in talks to repurpose Pines Reservoir.
  • March 29, 2018- ODNR sent letter to Administration requesting EAP and inundation draft by November 30, 2018.
  • November 9, 2018 from TF- Bucyrus council members consider options for Pines Reservoir. “This is the first conversation of many that are going to take place,” council president Sis Love said.
  • March 5, 2019- conference call w/Brandstetter Carroll/Diversified Environmental Consulting and representatives of the City. Reser stated no steps had been taken but would like to drain reservoir #2. ODNR agreed city would submit 3 new schedules; EAP, breech, long term remediation plan.
  • March 20, 2019- Wagner letter to ODNR stating city was in negotiations to sell #2 to Murphy.
  • March 20, 2019- ODNR received plans:
  1. EAP and inundation 1, 3, & 4 acceptable.
  2. Remaining items 1, 3 & 4 incomplete.
  3. Reservoir #2 incomplete.
  • March 28, 2019- Chief’s Order from ODNR.
  • May 7, 2019- compliance overview from Brandstetter Carroll.
  • May10, 2019 from TF- ODNR may force city to decide soon on fate of Pines Reservoir.
  • June 6, 2019 letter from Brandstetter Carroll stating that they have been assisting since mid-2017
  • August 18, 2019- called Dena Barnhouse ODNR requesting information. Left message never got a return call.
  • August 22, 2019- Jackie Fisher from the Ohio Attorney General’s office called in reference to my call to ODNR on 8/18.

Wirebaugh said he expressed to Fisher his concern about the limited information council members were receiving from the city’s administration with a looming hearing Oct. 22 to discuss appeal of a chief’s order set forth by Ohio Department of Natural Resources. He said Bucyrus City Law Director Rob Ratliff was on the call with him and that Fisher stated that they had not received EAP yet.

“She gave Ratliff a list of engineers that could do the inundation study that were 1/5 of the cost of Brandstetter-Carroll,” Wirebaugh said. “She stated that it would cost hundreds of thousands to repair the dam and would cost tens of thousands to breach the dam.”

On Aug. 23, a conference call occurred with ODNR and the Ohio Attorney General’s Office at Bucyrus City Hall.

“What I came away with from our conversation was that the city may still be liable if a new owner does not satisfy the Pines to ODNR’s specifications,” Wirebaugh said in reference to Bucyrus attorney Pat Murphy’s desire to purchase the reservoir.

Wirebaugh said the city’s administration was given a list of suggested engineering firms that would most likely cost considerably less than the current engineers, Brandstetter-Caroll.

“ODNR would find favor with the city if we begin draining the reservoir to the appropriate level that the city could avoid several major costs,” Wirebaugh said. “If we have a plan in place, the Attorney General’s Office will send a draft agreement to the city that could potentially give us considerably more time to complete the work we need to do.”

He said all this needs to happen before the scheduled hearing Oct. 22.

“My recommendations are that the administration and the city have been given a great gift, don’t squander it,” Wirebaugh said.

He said he also believes there may be a way to capitalize on having to drain a portion of the Pines.

“I am currently working with Vince Messerly of the Streams and Wetlands Foundation and Cal Miller, Wetland Resource Center, researching the feasibility of a project like this. Wetland Resource Center did a couple of projects in Marion County,” Wirebaugh said. “Cal believed that market price for wetlands in the Sandusky watershed would be around $35-40,000 and acre. A Wetlands Mitigation Bank gives credits for the preservation of streams and wetlands. There are 100 acres at the Pines.”

City resident Ray Thitoff agreed with Wirebaugh.

“The city has been given a gift in this and we should go for it, not give the reservoir away,” Thitoff said.

Environmental consultant Barry Franc of Cincinnati is working with the city on the reservoir issue and said whether the city opts to drain the reservoir down to take it out of the status of being a dam or decides to repair the dam, the reservoir will need to be drained to a certain extent.

Environmental specialist Barry Franc speaks to those in attendance about Pines Reservoir. (Photo by Kimberly Gasuras)

“We would have to drain it down eight to 10 feet to make the repairs to the dam,” Franc said.

He said the reservoir would have to be drained more to take it out of the classification of being a dam and that probably smaller fishing-style ponds would be formed.

Local resident Richard Crary said it will cost $1 million to repair the dam but the city recently spent $1 million to tear down the old water treatment plant.

“It could have stayed there, and we could have saved a million bucks,” Crary said. “My suggestion is to spend the money; repair the damn and leave it the height it is now.”

Candy Yokum, who is running for second ward council member in November, asked the administration if any grants had been applied for to help repair the dam and keep the reservoir in its current capacity. She listed several grants that are available.

Mayor Jeff Reser said Brandstetter-Carroll completed the research for grants and told the administration that none were available, but several residents disagreed.

“FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) had a grant available for the emergency repair of dams but the deadline was two weeks ago for 2019,” local resident Kathy Fuller said.

Bucyrus resident Pamela Dunn said if the city can obtain grants to fix the reservoir, she would be supportive.

“But if not, I say to drain it because I do not want my water bill going up like it said in the newspaper,” Dunn said.

Reser said that was a misquote and water bills will not be increased to fix the reservoir.

Auditor Joyce Schifer said, since the reservoir is no longer used as a water supply for the city, money to repair it must come from the general fund, not the water fund.

Bucyrus resident Carolyn Shireman asked Murphy if the public may still use the reservoir if he takes over ownership.

“I could offer memberships through the LLC,” Murphy said.

Shireman responded that the reservoir needs to remain available to local residents since taxpayers constructed it in the first place.

Murphy said his family once owned the property and he is not sure how the city acquired it.

“I don’t know if my great-great-great-great-grandfather sold the land to the city as a water source or if it was taken by imminent domain,” Murphy said. “The city may owe me the deed.”

Reser said the final decision of the fate of the reservoir is up to council. Wirebaugh said the reservoir belongs to the city and it needs to be fixed.

“If we get the water down to a reasonable level, we will have another year to figure out the next steps and apply for grant monies,” Wirebaugh said. “Bottom line, the city has the responsibility to fix it.”