LETTER: Village must focus on fixing, not removing, Grafton dam

To Ozaukee Press:

Why hasn’t the Grafton dam’s gate been repaired yet? Since June 1, all of the effort of the Village of Grafton has been focused solely on removal of the dam, not on evaluating competitive bids to repair the gate, nor on how to improve the river’s health and millpond by dredging.

By delaying any action on fixing the gate by two months, mudflats and weeds have grown in the once-beautiful, expansive water, and the summer season of recreational activities has been ruined—not to mention the awful aesthetics imposed on the downtown, Veteran’s Park and the new Exacto pavilion.

No reason has been given for not repairing the gate, and gate repair efforts have been sidelined in favor of exclusively investigating dam removal. There also are confusing and misleading statements coming from the village president on what is happening.

The dam inspection done in June rated the dam in stable condition, and the report’s conclusion stated, that “immediate priority must be given to evaluating and repairing the hydraulic crest gate mechanism to restore full operational control over the impoundment.”

It’s time to stop delaying and get the gate repaired and restore our millpond.

Bill Hass

Grafton