Potential sale of Du Quoin Lake slowed by need for survey description
Du Quoin's interest in selling Du Quoin Lake hasn't dimmed, but the process will take longer than originally thought, now that the city has realized it doesn't have a reliable survey description of the property, officials said.
Both the title company and the appraisal company need a survey to do the title search and an accurate appraisal, and on Monday the city council tabled a motion on the title search.
"The way the condemnation was done in the 30s, nobody did the proper legal description," Mayor Guy Alongi explained on Thursday. "Now, 80 years later, we're trying to unravel it."
City Attorney Aaron Atkins said the title search is on hold until the city finds surveyors to give them bids. The are looking for local firms with GPS systems, since that is the only way to survey land that is underwater, he explained.
Since last fall, the city has been investigating the possibility of selling Du Quoin Lake, as well as some adjacent farmland and wooded areas.
The lake, located north of the Du Quoin city limits near Sunfield, was created in 1936 as a fresh water supply for city residents. Farmland was condemned, and the lake was built by putting a dam across the creek and allowing water to back-flood about 264 acres.
But by the early 1970s the lake wasn't sufficient to handle the city's water needs and in 1971 Du Quoin contracted with Rend Lake for water. Today the lake is a public recreation spot for boaters and fishermen, and is stocked by the Du Quoin Lake Association with crappie, channel catfish, bluegill and largemouth bass. It remains outside the Du Quoin city limits.
City Attorney Aaron Atkins said the city spends money to maintain the lake and surrounding area. A few years ago the city removed the old pump station because local kids were climbing on it, and it was dangerous. And the city "spent a young fortune" beefing up the dam a year or so ago, he added.
Alongi said the city didn't anticipate it would need to have a legal description of the land underneath the lake. City Attorney Aaron Atkins is researching what getting that survey will cost.
The mayor said that so far, at least, the city remains interested in pursuing a sale of the lake. Last November the city of Marion sold its own 440-acre city lake for $1.5 million to private developer Andrew Freebourne of Marion. City officials say they believe he intends to make it a private recreational venue, with boating, fishing, perhaps an event center and/or a cabin retreat.
And just last week, an unknown person approached the city of Harrisburg saying they were interested in buying Harrisburg's municipal lake.
Until 1989, Du Quoin owned all the land around the lake and leased lots to people for $10 a year, who would put up cabins they used during the season. When John Rednour was elected Du Quoin mayor in 1989, he wanted the lots sold. Larry Moore did the surveying and subdividing, and 142 lots were put up for sale.
The survey that Du Quoin now needs would not include those private lots.