Barry County Commissioners heard options on what to do with the Gun Lake Dam, which was saved from collapse in May, 2015 by emergency repairs, including 200 tons of rock.
Dan Fredericks of LRE Engineers & Surveyors of Comstock Park, was hired in October, 2016 to do an engineering study of the dam. Tuesday, he gave commissioners the preliminary results.
The dam, built in 1921, is just north of Marsh Road and controls the lake level of the 2,680 acre lake. Fredericks gave three options: do nothing, repair the dam, or build a new dam. After visual inspection, topographical survey, flow monitoring and costs and, “based on our analysis of existing conditions, evaluation of alternatives and discussions with impacted stakeholders, LRE recommended replacing the Gun Lake Dam.”
The report said while the emergency repairs stabilized the structure, the dam has a fundamental design flaw which will require “further reactive repairs.” Repairing the dam would be extremely costly and leaking may still develop, which led to the recommendation for a new dam.
The estimated cost would be $300,000, excluding legal, permit, land acquisition, administrative and finance costs, Fredericks said.
Commissioner Vivian Conner asked that Fredericks, attorneys, and Drain Commissioner Jim Dull, among others, hold an informational meeting for residents around the lake to hear the details in another presentation by Fredericks and give their opinions on the direction the county should go.
The commission set a tentative date of April 25, likely at the Yankee Springs Township Hall.//
How to pay for the construction would be one of three ways; through the county, county drain commissioner and circuit court, with the drain commission setting costs and special assessment roll or, through a Lake Improvement Board by a petition to the DNR, with the lake board controlling the process and setting a special assessment district or, through the county and Barry County Board of Public Works, which would be responsible for construction, setting the assessment roll and holding hearings.
A preliminary construction schedule has engineering, establishing a special assessment district and engineering design this year with bidding and construction in the fall and winter of this year and all of 2018, Fredericks reported.
Conner said lake residents didn’t seem especially upset about a special assessment district, but everyone she talked to said: “Just get it done.”
