OKTIBBEHA COUNTY — Daniel Gadke recalls his first year living on the banks of Oktibbeha County Lake in 2015.
With people swimming and kayaking in the lake, he said the atmosphere proved to be a positive influence in the county.
“Our first year out here was awesome,” Gadke said. “There were things happening, community events, people would bring their kayaks and pontoon boats. I’m hoping for that again.”
Then in 2016, everything changed. Due to slope failures and high water levels, the county significantly lowered the water level at the lake to stop its dam from potentially collapsing. In January 2020, more was drained after County Engineer Clyde Pritchard warned the dam was in imminent danger of breaching.
Because of the drainage, residents and visitors alike have not been able to recreationally use the lake, something Gadke said saddens him due to his kids not getting to enjoy leisurely activities right outside their window.
“One of the reasons we moved out here was to build on the lake and take advantage of the opportunities it has,” Gadke said. “It was really exciting at the time, and of course it’s been super disappointing over the last few years that the lake has been drained.”
Lifelong Oktibbeha County resident Ryan Taylor had a similar experience.
After several years of living in the county, he and his wife finally bought a house on the lake because he said that is where he knew he wanted to retire one day and give his grandchildren a place of enjoyment, something Taylor cited as a “dream come true.”
“When all of this happened — I can’t even explain the feeling — but we invested a lot into our house and thought that we’re going to have a place where we can retire and then all of a sudden that’s taken away from you,” Taylor said.
Officials bogged down in debate
While the Oktibbeha County Board of Supervisors has been aware of these ongoing issues for several years, no substantive action was taken to improve the lake and its dam until the board’s most recent meeting on March 7 when the supervisors approved moving forward with a design process for improvements.
Since the imminent breach warning in 2020, in which 250 residents near the lake evacuated their homes for several days, supervisors have continued discussing how to improve the dam. They opted late last year to commission Pickering Engineering to issue a report for what work was needed.
The report from Pickering last month estimated costs for improving the dam at $15 million.
District 3 Supervisor Marvell Howard, who lives near the lake and represents the district where it sits, has been a strong advocate for fixing the dam’s structural issues, even at significant cost. Board President Bricklee Miller, who represents District 4, has opposed expensive dam repairs, most recently expressing public support for decommissioning the dam, which would essentially make the lake unusable, though that position did not gain traction among other board members.
Beyond the lake not being used, Taylor said he is most disappointed in it taking years for supervisors to finally do something about it.
“When you spend your life savings to get there because you have the opportunity to be where you want to be and then it’s taken away from you, it’s a very heart-wrenching situation,” Taylor said.
Taylor, and even his fellow lake residents, are not alone.
Water park Wet N Wild filed a lawsuit against the county in August 2020 for not maintaining upkeep of the lake, citing the negligence violated the county’s lease with the park. Because of the inactivity of the lake, Wet N Wild owner Richard Stansbury (the former Mississippi State men’s basketball coach) has not been able to operate the park over the past few years. The lawsuit is ongoing.
A lake that is ‘freely and publicly available’
Gadke said it is disheartening to hear the rhetoric of some people in the community that believe the county should shut down the lake completely. He said while he understands improvements will cost the county an extensive amount of money, abandoning the lake would have grave repercussions for the future.
He said he thinks about resident impact and legacy effects — how much it matters to the social, mental and economic health of a community to have a place of entertainment and recreation. Never having the lake in use again would remove a significant opportunity for Oktibbeha County, he said.
“When we make finite decisions that say, ‘No, we could never fix that,’ we are making a choice that has adverse resident impact for a lifetime in a way we can’t reverse,” Gadke said.
Gadke said he believes the board should spend its $9.6 million of American Rescue Act Plan funds on lake improvements. While the board has expressed wanting to use its ARPA on the lake, other supervisors have discussed other desired projects, something Gadke said he feels takes away from the crucial importance of this issue.
Having friends throughout the entire county, Taylor said he has spoken to dozens of people about their experiences with the lake, saying that everybody has a story of their time at the Oktibbeha County Lake. Taylor said he believes Oktibbeha County has an unlimited amount of opportunities to grow, but without fixing the dam, no one will want to build property near the lake.
“Nobody is going to invest money if they don’t know if the water is going to be here,” Taylor said.
While Gadke said the last few years of unknowingness have been frustrating, he has always been hopeful the county will enhance the lake in the future.
“I just really hope as a citizen of the county, not just a homeowner, that we can get past this,” Gadke said. “We should really change the tone of how to make the lake as publicly and freely available. There are so many things that are easy next steps for us once we get past this.”
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 44 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.