Work to reconstruct the lake at Sharon Woods is nearing completion. Great Parks offered a behind-the-scenes look Friday at what's been going on at the 35-acre lake.
"The majority of the earthwork operations have been completed," said Janet Broughton Murray, chief of planning. "We've completed one of the two boardwalks, and are working on completing the second, larger boardwalk that goes out over the constructed wetlands. We'll also have some floating docks to add once the lake has been filled, and we have planting to do in the wetlands."
Broughton Murray says the project is currently on time and on budget. The plan is to refill the lake and reopen the trail around it in late fall of 2025. Public boat rentals will open the following spring.
Are they just moving dirt around?
The lake and portions of the 2.6-mile, multi-use trail around it have been closed since April 2024. A common refrain from some park visitors and those bemoaning the length of the construction project is, "Are they doing any work? It just looks like they're moving dirt around."
Actually, Broughton Murray says, those folks are half correct.
"Moving dirt around is exactly what we're doing, but it's very strategic," she says.
The lake has collected a lot of dirt and sediment over the decades. Sharon Lake was created in 1936 as a recreation area by the Works Progress Administration. It was last dredged and cleaned in the 1980s, according to Great Parks.
Construction crews are repositioning all of that accumulated dirt and sediment to make the main portion of the lake more amendable to fishing and water recreation. Rather than getting rid of all the excess dirt in the main body of the lake, they're moving it to the northern and southern edges and using it to create wetlands.
Broughton Murray explains those areas are where water and sediment enter the lake from neighboring creeks.
"We position that sediment strategically in wetlands that are serpentine to allow water coming into the lake to slow and allow sediments to settle out," she says. "We've built additional weirs with the sediment, which contain new sediment coming in even more. This will allow the main recreational body of the lake to stay more free of sediment settlement, and we will be able to do more targeted dredging operations in the future, which will be less disruptive to our guests and to wildlife."
Plus, the wetlands will offer beneficial habitat for certain plants, insects, amphibians and other animals and wildlife.
Why are the wetlands important?
The wetlands serve several purposes, according to Broughton Murray.
- Great Parks needed to do something with the sediments it would be removing from the main portion of the lake and this was more economical and environmentally friendly
- The wetlands are being built in a manner that will help contain new sediments entering the lake to the wetland areas
- They provide important habitat
- People will be able to view the wetland plants and wildlife both from new boardwalk and by kayaking on the water
Other work on Sharon Lake
Projects around the lake include two new boardwalks and floating fishing piers.
The current cost of the project is $15.4 million. Its being paid for by a combination of outside funding from foundations, the Land & Water Conservation Fund, the State of Ohio Capital Improvement Fund, and the 2016 Great Parks operating levy.
Portions of Kreis Dam also are undergoing reconstruction while the lake is emptied. The original spillway was constructed with stone, like what you see on the dam itself. That's been replaced with a poured concrete spillway.
Great Parks also is making accessibility, safety, and maintenance upgrades to the Sharon Lake Loop Trail.
Separately, planning is underway for a future redesign of the harbor area. Public comment on that work wrapped up last winter. The project is now in the design phase, with construction slated to begin in late 2026.
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