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Above is a rendering of a $2.54 million mixed-use building set to go in at Grand Lake St. Marys State Park.
ST. MARYS - A new $2.54 million mixed-used building will be constructed at Grand Lake St. Marys State Park, eventually replacing a pair of badly outdated, pest-ridden facilities that fail to serve the needs of both park staff and campers.
"We've been lobbying for this for many, many years," state park manager Dave Faler told The Daily Standard. "The staffing levels and officer numbers are too great for the current building and the main office. It's in very, very bad shape."
The Ohio Controlling Board last month signed off on the release of $2.54 million from a state park campgrounds and facilities fund to contract with Charles Construction Services of Findlay to construct a new 4,200-square-foot mixed-use building to streamline operations and better support the needs of guests at the park.
The controlling board also gave their blessing to the release of $700,000 to TRC Engineers Inc. of Cleveland to undertake a study of Interstate 75 twin bridges over U.S. Route 33 for possible replacement or rehabilitation.
The park has two main facilities, an existing camp store where sundry supplies are sold and a separate park office housing Ohio Department of Natural Resources staff, including Faler and dredge supervisors.
Both have exceeded their originally anticipated service lifespan and are no longer able to accommodate the needs and functionality of visitors and employees, according to state documents.
"The current office used to be on East Bank," Faler said. "We guess that it's over a hundred years old. It's been added onto like three different times."
The camping store, Faler noted, was probably built in the early '60s.
The main office is structurally deficient, according to Faler.
"Between my office and other office, the floor is actually sagged to the point that you could stick a deck or cards underneath the wall to go from office to office," he pointed out. "The foundation is in bad enough shape that we have chipmunks living year-round inside it. And occasionally we get raccoons that live underneath it, and they drag dead fish under it."
The building has also shifted over time, Faler said.
"Depending on the season, the doors stick and you can't close or open doors without prying on them," he noted.
Meanwhile, the camp store is cramped, with one ODNR official working out of the actual store, Faller pointed out.
"Basically, all we can get is about five or 10 people in that building, and it's extremely loud and there's very little room for products in that building," he said.
Much to the chagrin of staff, yellowjackets have infiltrated both the camp store and the main office.
"All those buildings, we have yellowjacket nests in the walls, and we can't get them out," Faller said. "So we have yellowjackets coming into the offices."
The two buildings will not be demolished until the new facility is completed.
The new mixed building, state documents reveal, would provide a camp store and main office under one roof, providing probably two-and-a-half times more space, according to Faler.
"It's going to have both facilities, a camp store and the main office in it," Faler said with obvious relish. "It will have six offices and an officer office and a reception area for boat registration and haul inspection as well."
The building will have a second floor to store IT equipment and other items.
"On the south side of the building will be a ... open air area outside and it'll have tables in it," Falter said. "We're currently also working on cleaning up around the office area where invasive species have taken over, and we're cleaning that all up. So it'll be a nice view of the lake from there as well."
The building will have enough space for an ODNR lieutenant to work inside.
"There's currently two lieutenants that work out of Buck Creek State Park because there's no office for them up here. So they're bringing one of them up (here)," Faler said.
The overall project will involve construction of the new building and associated site improvements. Once the new facility is operational, the existing structures will reportedly be demolished and the sites restored.
A pre-construction meeting is slated for Jan. 14, and a groundbreaking ceremony will be held sometime in March.
"They could start construction as early as March," Faler said, adding that the facility will go up right across from the current office, where "all the trees have been removed from here in the last month or so."
The project is anticipated to be finished in April 2027.
"By the end of April, we're supposed to be completed moved in, and then they will be tearing down the main office and the camp."
Faler has high hopes for the facility, saying he believes it will serve the park, its staff and visitors well into the future.
"You know, anytime you have a nice new facility, it tends to bring more people around," he said.
State Rep. Angie King, R-Celina, issued a statement on the release of state funds for the project.
"Home to three beautiful trails, a campground, and the lake, Grand Lake St. Marys State Park provides opportunities for local residents and out of town visitors alike to enjoy outdoor recreation and the natural beauty of our great state," she said.
A total of five bids for the project were submitted to the state. Charles Construction Services was "the lowest responsive and responsible bidder," a project summary states.
Bridge study
In other action, the controlling board approved the Ohio Department of Transportation's request for the release of $136.6 million in federal highway construction funds in fiscal years 2026 and 2027 to contract with 60 consulting firms under 72 separate agreements to provide construction contract plans, environmental investigations, planning services, construction inspections, right of way acquisition services and bridge inspections for various projects throughout the state.
Of that total amount, $700,000 was awarded to TRC Engineers Inc. of Cleveland to undertake a study of Interstate 75 twin bridges over U.S. Route 33 in Auglaize County for possible replacement or rehabilitation.
"This funding will ensure public safety and enhance transportation infrastructure in the 84th House District," King said.
