State: Park lodge destroyed by fire in 2016 to be replaced

LOGAN, Ohio – State officials say a state park dining lodge in southeastern Ohio that was destroyed by fire in 2016 will be replaced with an updated facility.

The Ohio Department of Natural Resources says the new facility replacing the former day lodge and dining hall at Hocking Hills State Park will include overnight lodging, a conference centre and dining and day-use accommodations.

The department said in a release that the new facility will be built where the former day lodge once stood.

State officials say the new lodge is expected to cost roughly $30 million. The release says a large portion of that funding will come from the insurance settlement the department received following the fire that destroyed the original lodge on Dec. 8, 2016.