Significant Funding Expected for Four Lakes Communities
Legislation will be introduced today in the Michigan House and Senate that would allocate $500 million in funding to make dam repairs and improvements an even bigger priority in the state. The measure includes significant funding for restoration of the Four Lakes and dams. Doors will open at 4:30 p.m. Capacity is limited to 300 people and will be enforced by local fire marshals. If you already registered for the webinar online, you have the option to attend in person or watch via live stream at the original link you received. After the board conducts its business there will be a public comment period where attendees will be allowed 2 minutes to publicly comment if they'd like.
As we mark the one-year anniversary of the rain event that changed the lake communities of Midland and Gladwin counties, we have a choice. We can look back and see a difficult time in our history, or we can see the tremendous resilience, renewal and collaboration that emerged as we brought our collective strengths together for recovery.
In a public informational session about the Four Lakes Special Assessment on Monday, April 19, we shared changes to the assessment amounts. We're glad to see so many people engaged and interested in this topic so we are providing more information below.
After further evaluation, FLTF determined that the proposed Four Lakes operations assessment, which was set to begin on the winter 2021 tax bill, is better suited to begin in 2022. Before implementing an assessment we want to ensure we have a quality implementation plan, therefore we need:
The four lake communities have a choice when it comes to recovery and restoration efforts. Removing the dams would require a decades-long program to manage public safety while removing the dams, with all necessary permits, and an environmental restoration plan. Our preliminary engineering estimates predict that this effort would cost $125 million. This path forward has no funding source and no one is championing this effort.
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July 2024
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