Saline Orders Dam Inspection

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Saline is a long way from making a decision on what to do about its Mill Pond dam. Council asked City staff to prepare a plan at the last meeting to repair the dam before deciding whether to expand or remove it in expectation of the State of Michigan beefing up its dam safety requirements in the wake of catastrophic flooding resulting from a dam collapse in Midland last year.

While no formal motion was made in the last September meeting, Council did vote Monday to spend $9,000 on a formal dam inspection with the Spicer Group a civil engineering and surveying firm. The final report on the true state of the dam will be expected sometime in two to four weeks.

“This is just one more step to better understand the current conditions of the dam, and to gather information that will help us in formulating costs opinions of those two options,” City Manager Colleen O’Toole said.

Before voting yes along with the rest of the Council, Councilor Janet Dillon asked Spicer’s representative if a dive team could be employed to produce a more complete picture of the situation.

“That was not included in the letter agreement we submitted. It is not required by the state. We don’t perform that at any given interval, although it is certainly a good idea. I would never recommend not doing an underwater dive inspection,” Spicer Group’s Kevin Wills told Council. “If that is something that you want to consider pursuing, Spicer does not do that in house. We would be happy to subcontract and include that in a revised order agreement or a change order. Whatever you prefer.”

The last dive inspection of the dam was in 2006, according to City Engineer Jeff Fordice.

The possibility of the dam being removed altogether, and therefore letting the Mill Pond dissolve into a humble creek, alarmed at least two members of the public to have their opposition read for the record via email.

“I specifically purchased this condominium because of the Mill Pond and the river view. It would be more than just tragic to remove the dam and all it has become to mean to this lovely place,” One resident said in a written statement, which was read aloud for the record by City Clerk Terri Royal. “The dam, the pond and the river has become an icon that has set Saline apart from the surrounding areas and means a great deal to the community and the homeowners. We would implore the city to not take this destructive and devastating action, to preserve this historic and meaningful water architecture.”

Image Credit: Wikimedia

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