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CORTLAND -- A state bill expected to be approved by the General Assembly in the next two weeks will provide funding for Mosquito Lake water quality improvement.
The Ohio House of Representatives passed its version of the One-Time Strategic Community Investment Fund Bill on Feb. 7, including funds in the amount of $330,350 to go toward protecting the water quality at Mosquito Lake.
"The hydrilla project will impact everybody in Trumbull County," Cortland City Council President Kevin Piros said.
"Warren gets their water from there. Bazetta, Mecca, and Cortland, we abut the lake. And a lot of recreational activity brings people to the area."
Hydrilla, an aquatic, invasive species found in Mosquito Lake was recognized in April by the Trumbull County commissioners as a "regional issue."
Its vegetational spread in the lake could be controlled by herbicides, sterile grass carp (white amur), or physical removal, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources. It was first discovered in Mosquito Lake in 2021 and it normally spreads through human activity.
ODNR also states on its website that the native southeast Asian and Australian plant grows rapidly and outcompetes native plants, creating problems for aquatic communities; and forms dense mats that restrict fishing, boating, and swimming, and clog water control structures.
"The mayor (Deidre Petrosky) has been the one who has been driving it," Piros said. "One of her top priorities is to get the hydrilla taken care of because the longer you wait, the more money it's going to cost to address it. By getting this money now, it will go a longer way than if we waited another year."
Bazetta Township Trustee Michael Hovis said reducing the hydrilla will highly benefit the area.
"It's definitely going to improve the quality of boating, sportsmanship on the lake, and it's good to see the state putting up some money toward it," Hovis said.
"There are one-and-a-half to two million visitors who visit Mosquito Lake, and by improving the quality there, it's going to improve the quality of experience. It is Warren's number one source for drinking water, so it has a big impact."
In April, Trumbull County commissioners voted 2-0 to provide $300,000 over a three-year period to help stop the spread of hydrilla.
"This is an economic issue," Malloy said at the time of the vote. "The economy on Mosquito Lake is crucial to what happens to the whole county's economy. If people stopped boating, stopped fishing and stopped utilizing the lake, it would cripple our economy. This is the second largest (inland) lake in the state. Mosquito Lake is an economic engine."
A public affairs spokesperson for the American Corps of Engineers Pittsburgh District could not be reached for comment.
COMMUNITY PAVILION
The House bill also will provide $350,000 to construct a community outdoor pavilion in downtown Cortland, which will host the Cortland Street Fair and food truck event.
"That's part of our strategic plan to revitalize downtown," Piros said. The city purchased the parking lot of the former Farmers National Bank in October for $72,000 and plans to use it for community gatherings and other recreational use.
"It's just another step into making that a community friendly kind of event center," Piros said. "It won't be a 'center' like a building, but an entertainment space. That's where this pavilion