Charles Mill Beach Area Campground & Amenities
We are currently working to enhance your future experience at Charles Mill Lake Park! Due to construction, guest access to the entire beach peninsula at Charles Mill will be closed for the 2025 camping season. This includes the swimming beach, playground, shelters, and the Messerly Center.
The project will renovate the existing primitive campsites with new concrete pads, electrical, water and sanitary sewer hookups. A new restroom will be constructed and the existing restroom near the beach will be renovated. A new picnic shelter will be added as well. For the amenities improvements, a community playground, and sport courts will be added to the beach area. Also included will be an ADA fishing pier, shade sails, and a concrete pad with utility hook-ups for food trucks near the beach.
The project is scheduled for completion in June 2026.
New MWCD Headquarters
The Muskingum Watershed Conservancy District (MWCD) broke ground on a new facility in New Philadelphia that will consolidate its central office operations in a single location.
The main office building located on 3rd St. NW in New Philadelphia has served the organization well, however, after an addition and several upgrades over the years, the building is no longer large enough to hold a growing staff (and equipment used to maintain our lands, parks, and marinas). Staff including administration, engineering, IT, conservation, natural resources, recreation, marketing, and programming are currently divided between three locations.
In addition to MWCD’s administrative offices, the approximately 35,000-square-foot building will feature a meeting area for up to 125 people, which will allow for further engagement with residents and lake users. A separate building will contain a service garage for MWCD’s vehicles, a water lab, and a sign shop. The site will include trails that connect to the existing trail system at the Kent State University Tolloty Technology Incubator and a new dog park for public use.
Designed with sustainability in mind, the facility will retain stormwater for landscape irrigation and the service building will generate some of its own electricity via rooftop solar panels. The site will also be equipped with four electric vehicle (EV) charging stations.
Construction is expected to be completed by fall 2026, with MWCD staff moving in shortly thereafter.
Clendening Marina
A new marina building is currently under construction and is expected to be complete in the summer of 2026. When complete, the marina will feature:
- Public restrooms and laundry facilities
- Retail space with bait, tackle, snacks, novelties, and boat rentals
- Guest services and staff office
- Improved parking and traffic flow