It was once a hidden lake in an Austintown neighborhood. Now it appears for former Meridian Lake could soon come back to life.

Woodside Lake or Meridian lake, as it was once called, was breached in October of 2020.
ODNR breached the dam and drained the lake because it had structural issues.

Since that time neighbors surrounding the area have met to try to bring it back to life.
Now it appears that has happened. Heavy equipment is now on the property and according to people who live there, two property owners are footing the bill to have the lake restored.

A smaller earthen dam will be built, small enough to avoid being under state control but large enough to bring most of the water back.
They say a voluntary homeowners association will be formed to pay for continued lake maintenance.

It's all good news for the nearly 30 homeowners who live around the lake area.

"We used to enjoy beautiful sunsets with reflections off the water. We had the dam area with the water flowing over and it was gorgeous! It's just something we appreciated as homeowners and we hope to see again soon," said lake area homeowner, Bob Bodnar.

According to a real estate agent who lives here, the 11-acre lake boosted property values by 25%

Once construction begins it should only take a few weeks for it to be completed and then by winter the whole lake will be back once again.