Hubbard Township trustees announced Tuesday that they may receive an extension to raise funds to prevent the demolition of the Coalburg Lake dam.

Demolition of the dam was originally scheduled to begin June 30, but the extension, which is being considered by the State Attorney General's office, would delay the demolition by about a year and give residents more time to raise funds and try to save the lake and dam.

Coalburg Lake is more than 100 years old and state officials have previously said its dam needs repairs. With no one stepping up to pay the millions it would cost to fix, residents continue to fear the demolition of the dam and draining of the lake. Residents of Hubbard began a petition back in December 2023 to try and save the lake.

The lake is privately owned by Coalburg Land Partners. The Hubbard Township Trustees considered buying the lake years ago but the township didn't have the money to invest in the repairs for the dam or the high insurance costs that came along with ownership.

Hubbard Township Trustee Jason Tedrow said the extension is being considered due to potential funding from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Tedrow said he is confident the Attorney General will approve the extension. He also said he is waiting to hear back regarding grant applications to help save the dam.

"It sounds like the residents are trying to continue raising some money and I know they've been in contact with a grant writer as well to see if they can get some assistance in looking for some additional funds," he said.

"I thought, I'm just going to leave my tent up since we just got approval to keep the lake for another year," said Mary Lou Reder, chairman of the basic coalition to save the Coalburg Lake dam. In order to raise public awareness about the dam's possible demolition, Reder slept in a tent on the lake property for 10 days.

Tedrow said he would like to see the funding used to make the lake a public property.

"It's just something that's been a part of our landscape for a long time," he said. "We did lose a lake at Harding Park in Hubbard. We've lost lakes like Girard Lake and Yankee Lake years ago and we continue to lose these kinds of resources."