Our grass roots organization, Friends of Saline Mill Pond, seeks to preserve the iconic Mill Pond. The Mill Pond water is created by the Saline Dam. It represents a significant part of Saline’s history, promotes bird migration, eagle nesting, and naturalized wildlife. We promote repair of the dam to preserve the millpond to protect this valuable asset for current and future generations.
Our goal is to put the issue of repairing/replacing the dam in the hands of the citizens by allowing them to vote on a proposal. In 2021 Spicer Engineering did a study of the dam and the City was given a list of repairs needed. This is what the City does not tell you. In four years little to no money was spent on upkeep or repairs, no bids solicited for repairs showing a lack of interest in its longevity.
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Currently there is an initiative by the City of Saline to remove the dam having spent $240,000 on a study and trying to procure grant funding from the government.
The City has effectively bypassed repairing the dam to spending millions to remove it and many more millions and years to rebuild Mill Pond Park.
If the City is successful in obtaining the funding to remove the dam there will no longer be a Mill Pond.
Friends of Saline Mill Pond, was formed by a group of concerned citizens who believe that not only is its removal unnecessary, expensive and not in the best interests of Saline, but will destroy an integral historic feature.
Before & after AI rendering of the Mill Pond by Spicer Engineering
No maintenance and no funds have been allocated for maintenance of the dam in over 2 decades.
When we asked the City how much money has been spent on dam maintenance the City says they haven’t been keeping track of it.
But, we who live by the dam and see it every day know that there is no record because in terms of receipts because there has been very little work done on it in decades.
It is our opinion that the City is wasting time and money with these million dollar grants which may never pan out. We already know grant money is not entire the answer.
The dam needs immediate repairs due to the lack of maintenance. The fact that it is in such good shape after so many years of neglect is a testament to how well it was built.
The City has shown in the study and in meeting photos the cement erosion exposing some rebar. So they already know that needs to be done immediately. Even if they say they want removal of the dam these repairs need to be done now. As citizens, we can see the soil is washing out from below the grass on the berm. You cannot see this from the road. The dam removal project will take years to complete. So just logically, priority should be to get bids for cement and berm repair.
No one understands the entirety of what removal would entail.
DPW should complete a simple spreadsheet that includes a biannual walk about /visual check list based on EGLE recommendations and an annual lift gate inspection to make sure the cement is intact. There should be a scheduled maintenance list completed at required intervals. EGLE probably has training resources that would help our city staff with inspection and maintenance to complete.
Right now the dam is in fair condition and if we make the needed repairs we can improve that condition. The city should have been and should allocate funds for the dam (and other assets) repairs to prepare for silt removal and sidewalks in the future. It’s pretty clear we should stop thinking there is going to be free money from the state or federal government and plan financially to get these things done.
Friends of Saline Mill Pond has paid close attention to the numbers presented. We are looking at between 10 and 18 million dollars without even developing the post dam removal restoration of Mill Pond Park.
Since the City says they don’t have this money it would require more personnel to spend years working on grants with nothing physically being done for repairs. And what if midway through the project contractors have burned through the grant money and the project sits for years? We could be left with a muddy, smelly swamp, historical structures (on the State and Federal Historical Registry, but not the City of Saline Registry) compromised that ruin the esthetics of the City and Mill Pond Park.
None of us at Friends of Saline Mill Pond understand why all of the attention has been placed on dam removal when dam repair should be the top priority. Repairs surely will need to be completed as a removal project will take years to pan out with so many government and historic hoops to jump through. The answer we have gotten is there is not as much grant money available for repairs as there is for dam removal – a sorry reason to destroy such a unique feature in our community.
What if we just get rid of it? But the the citizens will most assuredly pay for the consequences of this shortsighted vision to remove it.
Citizens need to understand how this could potentially become MORE increases in property taxes when grant money runs out . Citizens need to ask the right questions. Friends of Saline Mill Pond has been vocal about this waste of time, city personnel, resources, and stress on property owners who are adjacent to the Mill Pond and want to know what is going to happen so they can go on with their lives.
The Historic tailrace now serves as a way to reduce overflow into Curtis park. This structure and Wellers’ water rights would be threatened if the dam is removed… it is integrated into the dam and Mill Pond and part of the 13 acre historic site on the National Registry.
