Welcome! Through this blog I will try to keep you up-to-date on the Dakins Lake Expansion Project. Wow, things are moving so quickly it is hard to keep up. As you know we are expanding the park from 41 to 100 acres. We also plan to create a new lake below the existing pond and greatly improve park facilities. We’ve enlisted the help of Shive-Hattery Architect and Engineering firm.

The first public meeting was held on Tuesday, May 8 at the Delos & Lucille Dakins Community Center in Zearing and was a great success. More than 30 people attended and gave us feedback on which lake concept they liked best and on what amenities they wanted to see at the new park. You can view photos from that meeting here: http://on.fb.me/dakinsmeeting.

It was clear from the meeting that creating a lake that will be sustainable and provide a first-class fishery with good water quality was very important. With this in mind, our conservation board approved moving forward with “Lake Concept 5” (http://bit.ly/dakinslake) which provided the largest and deepest lake. Concept 5 would build an approximately 15 acre lake south of the existing 5 acre pond. It would provide access to the north end of the pond through a causeway built in the existing dam. The lake would be approximately 24 feet at its maximum depth. A sediment basin would also be built to capture run off and filter nutrients on the west arm of the new lake.

Shive-Hattery is currently working on creating a master plan for the park. They are using the feedback given at the public meeting and the “vision and needs” survey. Some of the angling amenities mentioned from the majority: handicapped accessible dock, boat ramp, and plenty of shoreline fishing. Other facilities suggested were a mix of primitive and full hook up campsites, a shower/ restroom/ storm shelter facility, and a trail around the lake that connects to the city of Zearing and the Praeri Rail Trail.

There is still time to give us public feedback on the plan. Shive-Hattery will have a draft of the plan and costs ready for our staff and review team to look at on May 29. The review team, made up of two Conservation staff members, the chair of the conservation board, the Zearing mayor, a DNR fisheries specialist, and our county engineer, will suggest changes. A master plan will be ready for the public meeting on June 4 in Zearing. So if you want input, fill out our form here: http://bit.ly/dakinsvision.

The second public meeting will be on Monday , June 4 from 5 – 7 p.m. at the Delos & Lucille Dakins Community Center (105. E. Main Street, Zearing). This meeting will be an “open house” format. No formal presentation will be given, but the engineer team and Story County Conservation staff will be available to talk to you and to guide you through the process.


Carol Williams is the Special Projects Ranger for Story County Conservation. This blog is intended to keep you up to date on Story County’s plan for improvements to Dakins Lake, located on the north edge of Zearing, Iowa.