Mayor touts plan to schedule referendum
By Ed Nadolski
Editor in Chief
Burlington Mayor Jeannie Hefty called a recent decision by the state Department of Natural Resources to allow the city some flexibility in its decision on the future of the Echo Lake dam “a gift.”
“The DNR gave us a game-changer here – and I can’t say enough about the relief it has given all of us. We can now include (a referendum) on the November ballot,” Hefty said Tuesday.
The mayor said she pushed for a referendum as the best way to find out how the residents feel about competing proposals to either modify the dam and retain Echo Lake or remove the dam and drain the lake.
As the debate over the two options intensified in recent weeks Hefty said she became convinced that a referendum would be the best way to decide the issue.
The mayor said city officials were prepared to scramble to put a referendum on the April 5 ballot – which would have had to have been determined by Jan. 26 to meet statutory requirements.
All that changed just days before that deadline when DNR officials told the city it could apply for Municipal Dam Grant funds now and potentially change the course of the proposed project from modification to removal in the future.
“That’s the beauty of it. Who has ever heard of that?” Hefty said. “Now we can study both options.
“I didn’t want a hurried decision.”
The city would be eligible to receive up to $1 million from the state for removal and slightly less for modification, according to officials.
While Hefty said she supports a full exploration of both options – including amenities and costs – she has made it clear on numerous occasions that she wants the city to retain the dam and improve Echo Lake.
She called the lake and dam a “stunning” gateway to the city’s downtown.
The key to making the plan work, she said, is to come up with ways to improve Echo Lake to increase recreational use of the body of water.
While Hefty remains firmly committed to retaining the dam others in the community have taken the opposite tack, saying it’s time to return the White River to it’s natural flow and drain the lake.
In mid January the city’s Park Board voted to recommend removal of the dam. In addition, Alderman Shad Branen recently presented a plan for removal and reclamation of the lake area that would create recreational amenities and moderate the costs projected in a study prepared by an engineering firm on behalf of the city.
Branen has said removing the dam will improve the ecology of the area and create recreational opportunities – which could include ponds, walking trails and even an amphitheater – that would increase use of the area.
The additional time the city now has to refine its decision will give supporters of both options time to explore in detail the scope and costs of the plans, according to Hefty.
To read the complete version of this story, see the Feb. 3 edition of the Burlington Standard Press.
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