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Lake Lawn expected to boost to Walworth County economy

Golfers play a round on the Lake Lawn Resort course Wednesday morning along the shore of Delavan Lake. The resort’s golf course and marina reopened last weekend. Officials with the new ownership group hope to open the hotel by the end of this month. Terry Mayer/staff.

DELAVAN - New Delavan City Manager Denise Pieroni took a walk down memory lane when she toured Lake Lawn Resort on May 27.

"I remember staying there when I was really young, more than 40 years ago now," said Pieroni. "It's a beautiful, vital facility with a rich history and tradition. It means a lot to the community and all of the other businesses in Delavan. We're very excited to see it open again."

And many others will have the same chance to reminisce again, thanks to Lake Geneva philanthropist and businessman Jim Drescher and his investment group, which finalized a $9.5 million deal with Madison-based Anchor Bank on May 20 after surfacing as viable new owners in March.

From jobs to tourism, the reopening of Delavan's Lake Lawn Resort is expected to give a strong shot in the arm to the Walworth County economy this summer.

Dave and Chris Marsicano’s parents opened the Village Supper Club on South Shore Drive, and the brothers took over operations about 20 years ago. Dave Marsicano said the restaurant has suffered like other businesses the past six months.

“With a 200-plus-room hotel, that’s at least 400 people per night and a lot of money, so when they closed it was scary because nobody knew it would close,” Patti Marsicano said.

The news not only bodes well for Delavan, but also for Walworth County, which led the state with an 11.8 percent increase in tourism revenue in 2010 from the year before.

Kathleen Seeberg of the Walworth County Visitors Bureau in Elkhorn said the reopening will provide a monetary and psychological boost to the area.

“Lake Lawn will be a wonderful addition to what we have in our pantry, so to speak,” Seeberg said. “It has a wonderful conference center that brings in business meetings and weddings, and the golf course is one of the favorites in the county. It is a huge factor for Delavan and boosts the area economy.

The resurrection of Lake Lawn also is a boost to the local labor market. More than 300 full- and part-time employees lost their jobs when the bank closed the 128-year-old landmark in December, two months after taking control of the 241-acre property in a foreclosure sale.

Many of the administrators are in place, and other employees soon will be following, Drescher said.

“The process has been going really well,” he said. “In the next week or so we’ll start bringing in the hourly workers, and former employees will get preferential treatment.”

Read the full story in the June 5, 2011 e-edition of Walworth County Sunday, HERE.