Saline residents urged city leaders to reconsider removing the Saline Dam, citing historical, recreational, and financial concerns during a public comment session.
Photo: Wendy Weller speaks to the Saline City Council at its March 17, 2025 meeting about the impact the dam has on her business. Photo: city video screenshot
At the March 17 Saline City Council meeting, numerous residents voiced their opinions on the future of the Saline Dam, with many urging the council to reconsider its removal. Concerns ranged from historical preservation to recreational access, property values, and financial feasibility.
One speaker referenced a local poll indicating strong public support for keeping the dam in place. “448 people respond to this poll… 63% of the people said to save the dam, 29% of the people said to remove it. So that’s a two to one ratio, right there.” The speaker also mentioned circulating a petition and noted that, despite limiting signatures to Saline voters, “there’s an enormous amount of interest out there.”
Wendy Weller, owner of Wellers Weddings housed in the refurbished in the historic mill that once used the dam for power, highlighted the dam’s historical significance, particularly in connection to Henry Ford’s soybean refining plant. “This project would be devastating for Wellers business, water rights, and loss of historic value… This project cannot go forward without including Weller’s property in it.” She argued that repairing the dam would be a better solution than removal, stating, “The city could choose to repair, not remove, and I hope they do.”
Recreational concerns were also raised. “I and others will lose the opportunity to kayak and fish within my own city,” one resident said. “Where else can you put a ten-and-a-half foot kayak in your own car, drive to the park, take a kayak ride, and come back right to your car to go home?” The speaker expressed skepticism that a restored river would offer the same experience, saying, “At the proposed four to five feet wide and two feet deep, I beg to differ.”
Other residents urged the council to allow the public to vote on the dam’s fate. “Don’t make a decision without the public. That’s really important,” one speaker said. Another added, “I would ask the council, somebody on the council, to think about it, consider it, to make a motion. This issue placed on the ballot.”
Financial concerns were also raised, with one speaker comparing the estimated costs of removal versus maintenance. “The cheapest proposal by Spicer to remove the dam is between four and six million… If we just keep the dam and repair it, that would cost $16,000 a year… It would take us 250 years to break even.”
Another resident questioned how dam removal might impact local fish hatcheries. “I live [by] the fish hatchery. I’ve not read anything at all on if it would have any effect on the fish hatchery… I’m just interested in knowing what effects, if any, it would have.”
While speakers presented a range of perspectives, the overarching sentiment was a call for further study, consideration of alternatives, and an opportunity for public input before any final decision is made.
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