The Four Lakes Task Force (FLTF) started 2020 with a signed purchase agreement with Boyce Hydro on December 31, 2019. As the Delegated Authority on behalf of Gladwin and Midland counties, we were in the process of securing interim financing, performing winter repairs on Edenville Dam, and scheduling special assessment hearings, with a plan to enter into the purchase of the dams in June. The May 19, 2020 rain event and dam failures changed everything.
2020 was an incredibly busy year and there is much work to do in 2021. Check out our 2020 Annual Operating Plan for an update on our progress and priorities. 2020 will soon be behind us, but our work in many ways is just starting.
The counties made the decision to take the Boyce property and escape from an owner and system that failed to keep us safe, left people without homes and facing major repairs and an uncertain future. Regretfully, some of us will choose to move before we rebuild. It is unfair and wrong that the previous dam owner would be allowed to under-invest, and the very people that are impacted should pay. We live with these facts every day as we help people recover. We are blessed with an incredible team of volunteers and experts that are focused on helping people recover AND rebuild our future. Friday, November 13th, FLTF and Boyce Hydro reached a settlement in connection with the condemnation litigation. In accordance with the settlement agreement, the counties on behalf of the Four Lakes Special Assessment District, will obtain ownership of the Boyce properties.
Four Lakes Task Force negotiated an access agreement with Boyce Hydro Power, and got a limited stay from the bankruptcy court, for the four dams the week of October 12.
On August 31, Four Lakes Task Force (FLTF) filed a motion seeking to be dismissed from the class-action lawsuit, Woods v. Midland County, that has been brought against multiple parties including FLTF, Boyce Hydro, Lee Mueller, and EGLE. The motion is scheduled for a hearing on October 28, 2020.
FLTF continues to maintain that lawsuits against the Task Force are without merit and including FLTF in any class action lawsuit is misguided. FLTF is a nonprofit organization representing the property owners of the four lakes. We act on behalf of the communities, the government and the Special Assessment District. Suing FLTF is equivalent to suing those who have suffered this loss. EGLE Releases Preliminary Report on the Edenville Dam Failure, Response Efforts and Program Reviews9/3/2020
This report is generally consistent with the framework and priorities of Four Lakes Task Force, including our desire to see the stabilization of the Tobacco side of the Edenville Dam.
The Last Two Years
In the 1920s, the Edenville, Sanford, Smallwood and Secord Dams were built to generate electrical power, creating four lakes. While interstate electric grids and efficient large generating plants diminished the value of the hydroelectric facilities over the past nearly 100 years, the lakes have become a naturalized part of the environment and have created significant economic, recreational and social benefits to our community and the counties of Gladwin and Midland. The fisheries and ecosystems that have developed around these systems have been an asset to the communities and the state. |
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