Greg Pence, Todd Young Push For Recreational Development At Brookville Lake

Could Brookville Lake become even a bigger attraction in the future? Time will tell.

(Washington, D.C.) – U.S. Congressman Greg Pence (IN-06) and Senator Todd Young (R-IN) are seeking support for economic development at Brookville Lake.

Pence and Young recently sent a letter to the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Louisville District to support expanding recreational development in the 2020 Brookville Lake Master Plan.

In the letter, Pence and Young not that Brookville lake sees over a million visitors each year, from hikers to hunters to campers and other seeking water-related recreation.

“However, there is a dire need for economic development and expansion – especially during this challenging economic crisis. If utilized, the land surrounding Brookville Lake has great potential for commercial success,” the letter reads.

Pence and Young added that there is only one place to eat and one place to buy fuel near the lake. But there are just over 2,800 places to stay around the lake, including campsites and vacation rentals.

“For decades, local communities could have reaped the benefits from additional development around the lake. Today, the surrounding counties want to better meet the needs of the increasing number of tourists. A solution that would assist the local community, cost nothing for the federal government, and would not impair public use, is to open up Brookville Lake’s surrounding land for recreational development. As a result, both Union and Franklin counties would be able to use the additional revenue to support the ever-increasing infrastructure demands – including emergency services – and rebuild a robust and stable economy”, the letter reads.

The USACE’s 1979 Brookville Lake Master Plan included multiple expansion ideas that never came to fruition. The 1979 plan called for a restaurant, campground and a 6-acre swimming pool complex to be built in the Battlepoint Area. Lodges, restaurants and cabins were also in the old expansion plans in the Mounds SRA and Quakertown SRA areas.

The 2020 Brookville Master Plan does not include any of those major expansions.

But as the USACE considers public comment, Pence and Young are urging that they consider adding recreational developments in the 2020 Master Plan.

“We are confident that further development will bring critical investments to the region and provide the local community with needed economic opportunities,” said Pence and Young in a joint statement.

Read Pence and Young's letter to the USACE here.

The updated 2020 Brookville Master Plan can be found here.