Lake conditions sink Governors Cup Regatta

CELINA — Organizers tried to keep the boats racing for the annual Governors Cup Regatta. The announcement that state crews would not be able to assist on the water, however, was the tipping point that cancelled this year’s event scheduled for next month.

The annual event draws tens of thousands of people to Grand Lake St. Marys. The lake’s waters and shorelines will now be nearly empty come Aug. 28 and 29 since organizers pulled the plug on this year’s event, regatta committee Co-Chairman Allen Baskett said.

“Up until this past week we were feeling really confident that we’d be able to have our event,” Baskett said. “We were getting information on water samples around our racecourse and were feeling pretty confident that area wasn’t as toxic as what was being portrayed in other parts of the lake.”

Baskett said regatta organizers were told Thursday that Ohio Department of Natural Resources officials and boats, who normally assist with patrolling the racecourse and helping set up the course would not be available to assist.

“We are also concerned about the quality of the water,” Baskett said. “Since we really don’t feel it’s going to get much better in the near future we thought it was in the best interest of everyone to cancel this year’s event. We’ll hope for better things next year.”

Baskett said organizers are hoping the event makes a comeback next year. The Celina event is scheduled to host the 2011 Inboard World Championships.

Gov. Ted Strickland, in town with members of his cabinet to outline steps the state is taking to address the crisis at Grand Lake, said contact with the lake is too dangerous to keep the regatta on as scheduled.

“That’s terribly unfortunate, but it’s necessary,” Strickland said. “What we are trying to convey as clearly as possible is that human health, and I believe, human life, is at risk using the lake in its current condition. I don’t think any of us would want anyone that we care about or even people who are complete strangers to us to be subjected to dangerous situations and that’s the condition we are facing right now.”

Mercer County Commissioner John Bruns said there’s no question the cancellation is another hit for a weary region.

“We lose all the people from the outside the area coming here. It’s also very important to all our small restaurants and so forth scattered around the lake and the lack of business to them,” Bruns said. “The local people are still patronizing but they don’t get the people who normally would come into the area. They’re taking a hit as well — everybody is.”