LIMA, OH (WLIO) - It has been several years since Schoonover Lake was drained and today, city officials say it's back up and ready for fishing!
Lima Mayor Sharetta Smith released the first of hundreds of channel catfish into the lake. The stocking of the fish was part of a re-dedication of the new island and improvements at Schoonover Lake. The mayor held her weekly briefing on location to thank all those involved in the project.
"Altogether it was a $1.6-million project. We've got some more projects coming up here. Yet this fall we plan to remove the vegetation that's sticking up through the water so we've got a contractor that's coming in to do that that specializes in that," commented Kirk Niemeyer, Lima Public Works director.
The improvements at Schoonover Lake have made a difference in the quality of life for residents and the city wants to do more improvement to the old pool area.
"We've got some conceptual things in the works right now and we can share those as soon as they become available. Things like a playground, additional splash pads, skate parks, pickle ball, things like that," added Niemeyer.
Niemeyer says they also have a $250,000 grant for improvements at the Schoonover Observatory that they hope to complete in the next couple of years.
