Alum Creek State Park Constructing New Marina Building

Alum Creek State Park is a popular recreational destination for residents of Central Ohio. The centerpiece of the park, Lake Alum, is a 3,400-acre, no-horsepower-limit lake that attracts many boaters.

In 2018, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) completed the renovation of a 240-slip marina on Lake Alum. For that project, ODNR replaced the outdated docks with new steel structure docks with Ipe decking. It also added electric and water on some fingers. In 2021, ODNR will be constructing a new marina building for the park, which is a popular recreation destination for residents of this highly-populated area of Central Ohio.

“There are a couple of old buildings there now that were built with the original marina in 1981,” said Phil Miller, deputy chief in ODNR’s Division of Parks and Watercraft. “The question was do we renovate the existing buildings or put in new. When we looked at what we had done with the marina, and looked at our phased development, the decision was that we would build a new facility rather than renovate the existing one and spend the same amount of money.”

The building will have about 40% more space than was available in all the other buildings combined. It will include retail and boat rental space, food service, public restrooms, shower facilities for slip holders’ use and outdoor gathering spaces.

The food service area will feature a blaze (high-speed) oven that can cook food in just one-third to one-half the time it takes a conventional oven. “That gives the concessionaire the ability to offer pizza, sub sandwiches, and other types of on-demand products,” said Miller. The hope is that the food service will be able to expand its menu to include healthier choices than the traditional grilled and deep-fried items. Fresh scooped ice cream will also be on the menu. The outdoor covered area will overlook the marina and include picnic tables and space for special events like weekend cookouts.

ODNR plans to begin construction in May 2021 with a goal of finishing the project in May 2022.  The project cost is estimated at $3.8 million, and will be funded in part by the Waterway Safety Fund, which reinvests money spent on boat registrations and fuel to improve, repair, upgrade, or install boating facilities like ramps, marinas, safety programs, and other boating-related programs in Ohio.