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In January of 1958, after years of sporadic meetings, the Board decided to meet monthly.
That year, the Lawrenceburg Boat Club secured a 100 year lease for an area on the riverbank outside the levee at the end of High Street.The Club is still there today, with a half dozen camping trailers in place during the summer months.
Requests to use Flood Control Land surfaced regularly. In 1949, Mayor Knippenberg asked to lease some land for the use for the Dearborn Rifle and Pistol Club. He was referred to City Council.
Mayor Edwards died in May of 1959 and Charles Hornbach became chairman of the District. Ray Gehring was appointed as the newest member of the board.
Loren Edwards had served as Mayor for three years and was the owner of a grocery at the corner of Center and St. Clair Streets.
In July of 1959, four benches were placed on the levee for the use of the public.
With a change in city administration, members of the Board in January of 1960 were Lawrenceburg Mayor Louis B. Liddle, Clifford Romines, Carl Haag, James T. Hooper and Ray Gehring.
Plans for Markland Dam were raising serious concerns, especially from the Lawrenceburg American Legion, which leased the fairgrounds. No one knew what the new higher pool stage would be for the Ohio, or what effect it might have on low-lying land outside the levee.
As a result, it had been decided that additional protection, known as remedial flood control, would
be the responsibility of the City and not the Flood Control District.
Mayor Louis B. Liddle predicted that even with the promised 23-foot pool stage, there would be necessity for additional pumping stations and 24 hour a
day pumping.
An extensive and costly drainage system would also
be required starting near the fairgrounds, going through the flood wall, under the high school football field and through the Tate Street “lake” to the Tate Street
pump station.
The entire project would be funded by the Corps of Engineers.
Apparently the Corps of Engineers protest about filling the ponding area had not affected plans made by the Flood Control District.
In April of 1960, they gave approval for construction of a Little League ball field in that area, and a little later that year received another glowing report following a Corps inspection.
But by October of that year, the first hints of trouble began to appear.There were problems described as “minor” with some of the vital pump stations.
In December 1960,Walter Decker, who had been involved with the levee since the planning stages, retired as levee supervisor and his place was taken by Joe Noppert.
The Flood Control District received a windfall when the Corps of Engineers notified the District that it would pay for flowage easements necessary for Markland Dam. Members had lengthy discussions about whether to put the money in a separate fund or use it to help keep tax rates down.
The tax rate fell to 14 cents.
Ray Gehring resigned from the board in September of 1961 and Sylvester Vogelsang was appointed to his seat.
In 1962, it was necessary to raise the tax rate to 20 cents. The aging levee and pump system were beginning to require more maintenance and repair.
However, in May of 1962, the District received the payment from the Corps of Engineers in the amount of $37,775.
They were able to reduce the rate for the following year to 19 cents.
The 1962 inspection report was a far cry from the excellent ones that had been received in the past.
This time, at just over 20 years old, the levee was rated only as “fair.”
Corps of Engineers inspectors objected to an unauthorized dump on District land, and complained that crops had been allowed to be cultivated dangerously close to the base of the levee.
They made special note of the fact that several of the pumps were in need of repair.
Board members listed in the January 1963 minutes were Engler, Sylvester Vogelsang, Louis B. Liddle, George Roof, Clifford Romines, J.T. Hooper and newly elected Lawrenceburg township trustee, Jerome “Tony” Gilb.
Possibly as a result of the less than perfect report of inspection, the first order of business was to authorize the purchase of 2500 to 3000 sand bags to have on hand for emergencies.
Concern was expressed over open joints that had been discovered in the floodwall at the Seagram warehouses.