Officials expect a flood of feedback at dam hearing

The fate of Grafton’s iconic Bridge Street Dam will be discussed during a public hearing that’s sure to be contentious on Monday, Aug. 3.

The 6 p.m. hearing and Village Board meeting have been moved to the Grafton High School auditorium “in order to accommodate a potentially larger audience” than could have been handled at Village Hall, Village Administrator Tim Wellnitz said.

The hearing will follow a report by Director of Public Works Julie Esch on options for the dam and Milwaukee River for the board to consider.

The dam has been a hotbed of discussion throughout the village since a hydraulic cylinder on the dam failed during the night of May 1, sending a surge of water downstream and substantially draining the millpond.

A village crew unsuccessfully tried to move the gate from its lowest setting, and a study by dam consultant J.F. Brennan Co. of La Crosse then revealed the cause of the failure was a faulty hydraulic cylinder.

J.F. Brennan Co. set the cost of repairing the cylinder at $154,000 if a refurbished cylinder is used or $180,000 if a new one is used.

The village staff recommended buying a new one to repair the dam, but after questions about the cost of the fix and whether it would be best to remove or repair the structure were raised, the Village Board in June postponed a decision for 60 days while officials research the best long-term decision.

While they acknowledged that residents overwhelmingly voted in  2010 to preserve the dam, trustees said times have changed and the matter deserves another look.

Trustee Sarah Scarpace said, “It’s been a long time since the referendum. There are a lot of questions to be had for experts.”

Village President Dan Delorit said the village needs a plan for the dam before taking any action. He told those who fought to retain the dam in 2010 to raise their hands, then said, “You guys did a great job saving the dam, but the one thing I didn’t see was how we’re going to maintain the dam moving forward.

“I would like to see some type of plan that talks about what do we do if we don’t fix the gate, how it affects the ecological impact of the flats we have, would there be a marsh in the area?”

But since then, the river level has fallen and mud flats have taken hold. And a number of residents have appealed to the board to fix the dam, arguing the structure and the millpond it creates is what defines the village and gives it its charm.

They noted that the dam has been a significant part of the village’s history and it contributes to the community’s valuation.

Others questioned the cost of repairing the dam, saying they believe the job could be done for far less and asking that competitive bids be sought for the work.

Last week, one man went so far as to offer to “hypothetically” pay for the repairs himself.

Wellnitz said Tuesday that the village has not received other bids to repair the dam gate, adding that will be one option provided to the board.

When the matter was postponed in June, officials said they also wanted to hear what the Department of Natural Resources and other agencies, such as Milwaukee Riverkeepers, had to say about the situation.

In addition to speaking at the public hearing, residents may also submit written comments about the issue to the village clerk before Monday’s meeting.

Comments may be sent to kolsen@villageofgraftonwi.gov or 860 Badger Cir., Grafton WI 53024.

Wellnitz said Tuesday that four people had already submitted comments, three of them supporting removal of the dam and one supporting repairing the structure.