John
Sajjad Lateef wrote:
>The dam being discussed is one of several dams that block
>the Fox River west of Chicago. Good news, huh? -- Sajjad
>
>
>Batavia park board agrees to let state remove dam
>Chicago Daily Herald
>
>By Gala M. Pierce Daily Herald Staff Writer
>
>By a close vote of 3-2, Batavia park officials endorsed the city
>council's vote last Thursday - to allow the state to remove most or all
>of the north dam.
>
>Board President Britta McKenna said that neither the plan's dam removal
>nor the full-width whitewater rapid option, a recreational 900-foot
>ramp, were ideal, but it was time to move forward. While she was
>worried about the narrowing of the river, she was just as enthusiastic
>about the prospects.
>
>"I am actually excited about some of the possibilities," McKenna said
>at Tuesday's park board meeting.
>
>The river may produce wetlands, and an interpretive boardwalk area
>could be designated, she said. The city could rely on the Batavians for
>a Healthy River Committee to help with the river's transition.
>
>"We have a group of volunteers who are willing to step up and help
>restore the shoreline," she said.
>
>The motion mirrored the council's suggestion to remove or reduce
>structures called riffles that impede sedimentation in the Fox River
>from floating downstream and maintain the river's width and depth.
>
>City council member Linnea Miller explained she anticipates some kind
>of structure in the river if not riffles, especially at the forest
>preserve district's Causeway Island.
>
>In July 2002 and in December, the park board voted for reducing the dam
>to about 5 feet at the dam's current location and a 3-foot tall check
>dam located 520 feet upstream - an alternative the Illinois Department
>of Natural Resources would not pursue.
>
>They felt the alternative best met the park board's objectives of
>maintaining the integrity of Depot Pond and the riverwalk, improving
>the quality of the river water, and recreation.
>
>Their 2002 vote differed from the city council's, which endorsed dam
>removal. That prompted an advisory referendum in April of last year
>that indicated residents wanted to keep the dam by a margin of 62 to 38
>percent.
>
>Board member Tony Barajas felt the state failed to cooperate with the
>city and felt the dam removal plan fell short of improving the
>riverwalk and the downtown. Pat Callahan did not state his reasons for
>voting against the motion.
>
>Both Scott Burkitt and Alan Leard, who voted yes, felt it was time to
>close the issue and move on.
>
>The board allowed 10 minutes for advocates and opponents of dam removal
>to speak.
>
>The only person who spoke was Jessi DiMartini, a leader for the
>Batavians for a Healthy River Committee.
>
>The Batavia naturalist urged the board to make a decision, so that the
>state would not allow the consultants' contract to expire, which would
>shelve the Batavia project. Then she recited a poem, "Green Algae and
>Dam," playing off "Green Eggs and Ham" by Dr. Seuss, which triggered
>many smiles and chuckles from the board and audience of about 15
>people.
>
>"I do not like that gooey sediment muck, nor the roller current that
>kill fishermen, down on their luck," she read.
>
>Miller hopes the decision prompts the state to record the deed of the
>dam. The city first gave it to the state in 1994, but the state has yet
>to take ownership of it.
>
>=====
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