Chesterfield votes to join Mounds Lake Commission

Council members voted 3-2 in favor of joining the commission on three readings before a near-capacity crowd in the auditorium of the Mill Creek Civic Center. Council members Karen Wilson, Jerry Fields and Rob Freestone voted in favor; Jack Taylor and Jay Mier voted no.

Chesterfield joins Anderson in voting to form the Mounds Lake Commission, which would guide the proposal to create a 2,100 acre lake extending seven miles from Anderson to Yorktown.

The project has an estimated cost of $440 million. Proponents say it would boost the local economy while providing an important water source for central Indiana. Opponents note that the project would necessitate the submersion of 400 homes and businesses and claim that it would harm the environment while threatening historic sites such as the Great Mound at Mounds State Park.

The ordinance approved Monday by Chesterfield is slightly different in language than the one approved by Anderson city council in June. The significance of the difference between the two ordinances was unclear Monday.

Rob Sparks, spokesman for the Mounds Lake project, couldn't be reached for comment.

Proponents and opponents were each given 30 minutes to address the council, which allowed only residents of Chesterfield and Union Township to speak. Council members asked no questions during the presentations and made no comments during the voting procedure.

The town of Daleville is scheduled to vote on joining the commission on Aug. 10, and the Yorktown town council on Aug. 20. If both vote to join, it would complete a full set of the four town councils sought to create the commission.

Sheryl Myers, spokeswoman for Heart of the River, which is opposed to the reservoir project, said the outcome of the vote was not a surprise -- but the narrow margin of passage was.

“We don’t want to anticipate any votes, but we’re moving ahead to take it to the next level,” Myers said of the fight to stop the reservoir project.

Richard Harvey, the owner of Toycade, said Chesterfield is not only his home, but where his business is located.

“I could have located elsewhere, but I wanted to stay in Chesterfield because of the people,” he said. “For the first time in over a decade, Chesterfield and Madison County is being viewed as a good place to invest.”

Phil Shumate, who lives along the White River, said there has been a dark cloud hanging over the area for years.

“I was glad to see young people step forward to help this community go from good to great,” he said of the Mounds Lake Reservoir proposal that originated with a Leadership Academy of Madison County class in 2012. “Mounds Lake can make our community go from good to great."

“We love the river and live on the river,” Shumate said. “I hope Mounds Lake will come to pass so more people can enjoy it.”

Supporter Kellie Kelley said people are working to bring new generations of families to the area.

“It would be short sighted to stop here and not allow the Phase 3 study to move forward,” she said. “Vote yes so the process can continue.”

Opponents renewed their concerns that the reservoir would not hold water because of underlying sand and gravel lenses. They're promoting the creation of a Mounds greenway trail as an alternative.

Phil Hollingsworth, president of the Friends of Mounds State Park, said that, if the reservoir becomes a reality, areas where he takes school children on tours would disappear.

“It wouldn’t surprise me that Mounds State Park won’t be a state park if large areas of the campground are impacted,” he said. “Mounds Lake would be a disaster for Mounds State Park.”

Helen Wean presented a petition with 230 signatures of Union Township residents opposed to the reservoir project. She said 65 percent of people her group talked with were against the project and only 20 percent were supportive.

Several opponents said the Mounds Lake Reservoir project was an Anderson idea being inflicted on the smaller communities.