Blue skies and an expansive view of the state’s first major reservoir built in over 30 years provided a scenic backdrop for the crowd that gathered in Fannin County for the official dedication of Bois d’Arc Lake by the North Texas Municipal Water District.

The event, “Celebrating the Gift of Water and Legacy of Service,” held Friday, Oct. 14, commemorated the project’s culmination of four years of construction and included a ceremonial ribbon cutting by the NTMWD Board of Directors followed by barbecue and tours of the new facility.

Speakers included Craig Bonds, inland fisheries director for the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, Brooke Paup, chairwoman of the Texas Water Development Board, State Sen. Bob Hall and State Rep. Reggie Smith.

Jack May, NTMWD board president, welcomed the estimated 300 people in attendance, including state and elected officials, NTMWD past and present board members and staff, representatives of the district’s member cities and customers, Texas Water Development Board, Texas Parks and Wildlife, Fannin County, city of Bonham and the project engineers and contractors.

“The long list of recognitions and thanks makes it clear how large and dedicated a team it takes to execute a project of this magnitude,” May said. “Successfully delivering the first major reservoir in over 30 years — mostly on time and mostly on budget — it’s truly an amazing accomplishment.”

NTMWD Executive Director and General Manager Jenna Covington spoke to the audience about a similar event that took place in 1953.

“Looking out on this amazing vista, it’s not hard for me to imagine a day that was very much like this one 69 years ago,” she said. “The last time NTMWD hosted the dedication of a reservoir was Oct. 29, 1953, when Speaker [of the House] Sam Rayburn closed the gates on Lavon Dam in front of perhaps more than 8,000 people.”

For the full story, see the Oct. 19 issue of The Wylie News.