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The future of the Chamber County Lake was discussed during the work session of the County Commission. State representative, Debbie Wood, brought Ed Poolos, the Deputy Commissioner of the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources to brief the commission on the effort to reopen the lake for recreational use. 

According to previous VTN reporting the lake has been closed since the beginning of 2020 after the last lake manager left due to the state not signing off on certain revenue opportunities, including camping. The ADCNR wants to reopen the lake and has already hired two concessionaires, who act, effectively, as a Lake Manager. 

“All the state lakes are jewels to us. We’ve got them all around the state, and managing those right now is a big priority,” Poolos said. 

He explained that county involvement is helpful in retaining these concessionaires and keeping the lake operational. Every state lake does things differently, whether it is completely operated by the county and its employees, or if the county just helps with some grounds maintenance. 

“In the past, we had concessionaires that live on-site,” explained Poolos. “But to find someone that’s there to do that, to be a concessionaire now that is extremely, extremely difficult…People aren’t looking to live on property or things like that.

However, the ADCNR is drawing up contracts now with Alan and Karen Franks who are local to the area, to take up the role of concessionaires. 

Poolos said they are optimistic about the current situation working out, but their experience at other lakes around the state makes them cautious. Concessionaires quitting within a year has been a trend across Alabama. 

 “Any help we can get for the individuals…the better you are and the better we are keeping this lake open,” Poolos said. 

He asked that if the concessionaire model does not work out, the county consider running the lake. 

“The second [option] would be planning to see if it would be a possibility for Chambers County, the county commission, potentially with some help from the cities to help manage the lake, as a part of the park and rec, county government,” He said. 

The commissioners did not make any comment, but county attorney Skip McCoy said that it would be a big undertaking. 

The ADCNR is also taking steps to make the role of concessionaire more desirable.

“We’re going up to $5 [for fishing license], concessionaires get to keep that funding, they get to keep the boat launch funding, really anything that they make they get to keep so it’s almost a business entity,” Poolos explained. 

The concessionaires would cover the smaller maintenance costs, but the state does set aside some of the revenue gained from sports fishing, to pay for large maintenance costs.

“We ensure that the fishing is good. That’s our first priority,” said Poolos. “Everything in the water would be managed by us…And I would say any of the large-scale maintenance issues.”

Poolos said his department is looking at other revenue streams for the concessionaires besides just the licensing fees. However, there is no camping allowed at the state lakes. Poolos said camping grounds require a law enforcement presence to avoid issues. Because the lakes are often run solely by concessionaires this is not a viable option. 

Poolos said he is open to other creative ideas, like pavilion rentals, fishing rodeos and other enterprises; just not camping. 

“The lake has been closed for four years now. The fishing when this lake opens up is going to be phenomenal,” Poolos said. “We think that the concessionaire will have something good to sell at that point. I mean, word that gets around when you’re catching big fish.”

Wood said many of her constituents have reached out asking about the reopening of the lake.

“There’s not a lot of outdoor activities for people to do here that don’t cost a lot of money. And we have a lot of citizens that rely on that lake for recreation, and we need to get it open,” Wood said. “Getting that thing open and giving them a place to go with our family that is safe, that they can have recreation.”

Poolos said the state government hired a consulting company to figure out how Alabama can grow industry and attract people to move to the state.

“The number one thing that they said that we need to do in Alabama, to get workers to get people to move here is to highlight our outdoor recreation,” Poolos said. “That’s what Alabama has. You need to not only highlight it but make sure that you have the best, that it’s been renovated, that it is ready because that’s why people are moving.”

Sheriff Jeff Nelson said he had been out to the facility recently. With a burglary and vandalism that has happened while the facility was closed and the fact the lake has not been maintained for four years, there is a lot of work that needs to be done. Nelson explained the highway department and the sheriff’s office crews would need at least a week to get the area ready. Poolos said he hopes to have the lake back open by Feb. 1. 

Poolos and his staff offered to accompany the representatives and department heads to the lake to see what the county could do in the lead-up to the lake opening. No action was taken at the commission meeting on Monday.