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Several hundred people attended the Friday morning ceremony in Hardley Creek Park to mark the 50th Anniversary of West Point Dam and Lake.

The crowd assembled for the program included U.S. Senators Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff of Georgia and Tommy Tuberville and Katie Britt of Alabama.

Katie Van Schoor, Marketing and Communications Director for the City of LaGrange, served as the mistress of ceremonies for the program. Rev. Pete Shoger of SouthCrest Church in LaGrange, delivered the invocation, and uniformed park rangers presented the colors and led the Pledge of Allegiance leading into the singing of the National Anthem by park ranger Jeff Mau.

Jay Jamison, the West Point Project’s Operations Manager, discussed the dam and lake’s importance to the two-state region.

“We are honoring and celebrating a historic milestone today,” Jamison said “We want to recognize all current and former U.S. Army Corps of Engineers employees for what they have done over the years. We also want to thank everyone who was involved in the construction of this dam and lake back in the 1960s and 1970s. Thank you for your part in making what we see around us today possible.”

Jamison noted that the project was done for a variety of purposes including flood control, hydroelectric power, navigation, fish and wildlife development and general recreation.

Col. Jeremy Chapman, commander of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Mobile District, was the next to speak. “What you see behind me is more than just steel and concrete,” he said. “It’s about the people who made it happen.”

Chapman stated that $100 million has been appropriated for navigation improvements in the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint (ACF) region and that this is something that needed to be done. He added that projects like West Point Dam and Lake were not built to last forever. “They are built to last for 100 years,” he said. “We will have to replace it one day. There are 27 locks and dams in our region that were built by the men and women of our country’s Greatest Generation. They did it when they returned from World War II. I’m afraid we haven’t been living up to what they did. We can’t take it for granted that what they did will last forever. One day, this dam you see behind me will have to be rebuilt. It didn’t happen by accident. It took planning, commitment and hard work on the part of a lot of good people. A new generation will have to carry on that legacy one day by building a new dam on this site.”

Chapman said he was pleased that the U.S. Army would be celebrating its 250th birthday on Saturday and that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers would be celebrating its 250th birthday on Monday, June 16th.

“Unlike what will be going on in Washington on Saturday, we won’t have any tanks moving around to celebrate our birthday on Monday,” Chapman said, getting some good-natured laughter. The Corps of Engineers, he said, is the tip of the spear for having a strong national defense.

Virgil Hobbs, Administrator and CEO of Southeastern Power Administration (SEPA), shared a flashback to 1975 by playing some snippets from several popular songs from 1975 including “Bohemian Rhapsody” by Queen, “Get Down Tonight” by K.C. and the Sunshine Band, “Love Will Keep Us Together” by the Captain and Tennille, “Philadelphia Freedom” by Elton John and “Cats in the Cradle” by Harry Chapin.

“It was back in 1975 when this dam went into service, providing flood control, recreation and hydroelectric power to this region,” Hobbs said. “The dam you see behind me produces electricity primarily for rural areas like what surrounds us today. The Southeastern Power Administration works with this dam and 21 others, providing electricity at cost to a wide area. Between 1965 and 1975 this dam was built for $56 million. It was done at a three percent interest rate with the goal of having it paid off in 50 years. I have some good news to report on that. It was paid off five years ago.”

Hobbs pointed out that the West Point Dam’s three generators can produce 213 megawatts of electricity each year. Of that total, the City of LaGrange gets around 28 gigawatts, Lanett nine, West Point seven and LaFayette four.

These electric sales return approximately $5.8 million to the U.S. Treasury each year.

“We thank the member cities that help us do this,” Hobbs said.

Troup County Commission Chairman Patrick Crews said that West Point Lake had been an important part of his life. He, his kids and grandkids have all enjoyed boating and jet skiing on the lake many times. “West Point Lake facilities are great resources for Troup County, West Point, LaGrange and the surrounding area,” Crews said. He said he was especially pleased with the new Oakfuskee Conservation Center in Pyne Road Park and is confident it will get more use from the public in the coming years. “With West Point Lake drawing more than two million visitors every year, there’s no doubt this U.S. Army Corps of Engineers project has a huge impact on our community, and we are grateful for that,” Crews said.

West Point Mayor Steve Trammel presented a proclamation to Col. Chapman, thanking the Corps of Engineers for the job it does with West Point Dam and Lake.

West Point City Manager Ed Moon shared what the dam means to the city in terms of flood control and its economic impact.

“For the West Point community, the value of this project is immense,” Moon said. “It touches our lives in so many ways. We often take these facilities for granted, so today I want to celebrate their significance.”

Moon said the lake offers excellent recreational facilities for local people and visitors. “We see people in our West Point businesses from all over the country,” Moon said. “They come here to enjoy the lake. Many of them return year after year, and we are always glad to see them. We always like hearing them tell us they like the way the lake’s facilities are operated and maintained.”

Moon said that hydroelectric power is clean, reliable energy that can be dispatched quickly. Hydropower, nuclear, natural gas and coal provide low-cost electric power, he said.

“Lastly, arguably of greatest importance, is the city’s location just three miles downstream of the dam,” Moon said. “Flooding has long been a part of West Point’s history. Before the construction of West Point Dam and Lake, the city struggled with flooding from the Chattahoochee River for about 145 years. Historical records indicate that on average West Point experienced one flood per year in its downtown area. Despite the ever-present flood risk, West Point continued to grow and prosper.”

“Today, we can see the success of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers,” Moon said. 

Moon said the West Point Project has been a great partner for the city. “In my 20 years here I can confidently say that the Corps has been the best of partners for us,” he said. “Operations Project Manager Jay Jamison and Natural Resource Manager David Scott are always a phone call away when we need them. I would also like to thank retired manager Steve Logan and ranger David Barr, with whom I worked with for many years. They were outstanding partners.”

“West Point Dam and Lake and the City of West Point share a name,” Moon said. “We share a history and we share a future. Thank you, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for 50 years of outstanding service at West Point Dam and Lake.”