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 MWCD Reviews Performance of Atwood Lake Resort Boykin Management Co. is reporting steady progress in the improvement of business at Atwood Lake Resort and Conference Center. And by 2008, Boykin, the resort’s management company, expects that one of Carroll County’s top employers again will be recording profits. That’s good news for the economy of Carroll County and the region, since Atwood Lake Resort has an annual payroll of nearly $1.7 million and pays nearly $200,000 a year in real estate and other taxes to the county and township governments. "By 2008, the resort will be self-sufficient," said Neal Praznik of Boykin Mangement Co., who serves as manager of Atwood Lake Resort. "The resort makes a major contribution to the local and county communities, and we are pleased about the efforts we have made in marketing and services to maintain that level of impact." During a meeting today (Nov. 17) at the resort, Praznik told members of the Muskingum Watershed Conservancy District’s Board of Directors that operating losses forecast for this year will be reduced next year, and eliminated in a little over a year. Atwood Lake Resort, a 104-room full-service hotel with a restaurant, golf course and meeting facilities, is owned by the MWCD. Boykin Management Co. of Cleveland, one of the top hotel management firms in the United States, has operated the resort located near Dellroy and overlooking Atwood Lake since mid 2004. Praznik said that a operating loss of slightly more than $218,000 is expected for this year, but that will be reduced by $159,000 next year. By 2008, overall profits are forecasted. "The economic impact of this facility on this region is tremendous," said John M. Hoopingarner, MWCD executive director/secretary. "It is one of Carroll County’s largest employers, pays a significant amount of taxes and is a strong component in the overall economy of the area. "It is important to note the progress that Boykin has made on an annual basis here from a budget standpoint." The resort, which employs about 175 people, has a direct economic benefit of more than $2 million in the Carroll County region, Praznik said. It will pay bed taxes this year of slightly more than $58,000 each to Monroe Township where it is located, and to help fund the Carroll County Convention and Visitors Bureau. It also will pay real estate taxes to Carroll County of nearly $82,000 this year, along with other state and local taxes of more than $187,000. The MWCD constructed Atwood Lake Resort in the 1960s and leased its operation to various hotel firms through the years, before taking over day-to-day operations in 1997. A 10-year management contract was signed by the MWCD with Boykin beginning in June 2004. However, the MWCD continues to monitor the performance of the resort very closely and has announced that it is reviewing potential development opportunities for the 350-acre site, including possible residential and economic opportunities. The MWCD Board of Appraisers is assisting in the process by determining the overall value and best uses of the property, Hoopingarner said. In other business, the MWCD Board of Directors:
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