“This spring will mark the 64th anniversary since water first spilled over the Rocky Fork dam in April of 1953…Colonel Walter H. Hutchins was a Cincinnati resident a regular visitor to Highland County. “He and other visitors were drawn to this area by the beauty of the Rocky Fork gorge and The Seven Caves as early as the mid 1800s,” Sexton, the vice president of the RFCA, told the crowd. “Colonel Hutchins was the one who first had the dream of constructing a dam near McCoppin’s Mill and was also the lake’s biggest promoter.”” Rocky Fork Lake was and still is a great place for opportunity! Check out the whole article here.

The Picture: Ben Sexton holds a pair of 1960s era paintings of McCoppin’s Mill and the Rocky Fork dam by late Hillsboro artist Truby Abbott. Sexton said he found both paintings at different yard sales on the same day in the lake area about 30 minutes apart.

A land bank at Rocky Fork Lake was approved October 2016 to take a part of the $800k grant money awarded to the Rocky Fork Lake Area Safety and Advancement Planning Process. “Highland County Board of Commissioners President Shane Wilkin and commissioner Terry Britton will serve on the five member operating board for the newly formed Highland County land bank… Wilkin and Britton will serve on the board alongside the City of Hillsboro’s appointee, Charlie Guarino, Paint Township appointee Randy Mustard and Catherine Allen, who was appointed by Highland County Treasurer Vickie Warnock.” Read More

A recent article was written in the Times Gazzette regarding the grant money coming to Rocky Fork Lake. LuAnn Winkle was the driving force behind winning the grant from the Byrne Criminal Justice Innovation Program of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Bureau of Justice Assistance. Since the award in October 2016, project coordinators have decided how monies will be used. According to the article, of the $844,000 – $295,094 will be used for salaries and fringe benefits, $521,554 for consultants and contracts to tackle economic development and crime fighting efforts, $22,714 for travel expenses and $4,136 for supplies. Click here to read the entire article.

Did ya’ll catch the most recent article in The Times-Gazette about Rocky Fork Lake-ASAP? The community should know more about the direction of the grant money after the Feb 27th meeting.

Welcome to Lake Life! A fun and casual blog focusing on Rocky Fork Lake community, growth and development. Check back often for new posts and interesting news!