Silver Lake Dam concept continues to spur calls for conversation

ROCHESTER — Uncertainty continues to create turbulence as Rochester waits for final word on anticipated state funding to replace the Silver Lake Dam.

“We’re trying to impress on the (Rochester City) Council as soon as we can that the citizens of Rochester would like them to address this issue more than they have so far,” Friends of Silver Lake member Greg Munson said of a planned rally to call for more public discussion of the proposal.

The rally is set for 5 p.m. Monday at the city-county Government Center, 151 Fourth St. SE, an hour before the start of the night’s council meeting.

Council member Shaun Palmer, who represents the ward with the dam, said he had planned to request a study session related to the dam, but now expects it will be discussed this summer after the Minnesota Legislature decides whether to approve nearly $2.4 million in grant funding.

While not part of planning the rally, Palmer said he believes more discussion is needed to ensure accurate information is available as rumors and misinformation continue to circulate.

“The elevation of the lake is going to stay the same,” he said, responding to people who believe the lake would revert to a natural river.

The dam-replacement concept was developed to allow added recreational opportunities and the ability for fish and wildlife to move upstream. Plans call for making any changes alongside long-planned dredging and sewer work, which will also require the lake’s water levels to be temporarily lowered. Such work would likely happen in 2025 or 2026, if the dam modification is approved.

Rochester Deputy Public Works Director Aaron Luckstein said the goal is to have 30% of the dam design work completed in the next month or so to correspond with the anticipated May 20 end of the legislative session and final funding decision.

The state funding and a completed preliminary design would spur the next decisions for the City Council.

“We had paused some of that engineering work, even in that 30%, because funding is such a big part of this project,” Luckstein said.

The initial engineering work being done by WHKS & Co. was approved by the City Council in 2020, and Luckstein said the preliminary work typically includes identifying potential funding sources.

While only two members of the current council were in office when the initial work was approved, the majority of the current council discussed plans during two meetings in 2021 before approving a request for up to $11.7 million from the Legislature for a larger project that included the dam modification.

The council has also approved the project as part of the city’s capital improvement plan on an annual basis in recent years

Following three unsuccessful attempts to seek legislative approval for state borrowing to support the effort, city staff opted to seek a grant through the Lessard-Sams Outdoor Heritage Council, which would be funded through taxes collected as part of the state’s Clean Water, Land and Legacy Amendment.

While the project continues to call for the creation of an alternate dam structure west of the existing dam, Luckstein said the new application centered on the benefits to fish and wildlife, since that’s the focus of the funding.

“It allows for fish and wildlife improvement," he said of the proposed dam change. “Theoretically, there will be water-quality benefits associated with that because mussels help clean the water.”

Munson questions aspects of the grant application and has said members of the Friends of Silver Lake continue to raise concerns about flood protection and the potential cost of ongoing maintenance of the new structure.

Luckstein said those concerns would be addressed, if the City Council opts to move forward with the planning process.

“Complete 30% engineering designs will help answer some of the questions, but really, it's between that 30% and 100% design, where a lot of the allegations and questions get sorted out,” he said, noting the future work will address construction and maintenance costs for the project current estimated at $5.5 million to complete.

Additional funding is expected to come from $2 million in anticipated Rochester Public Utilities savings from avoiding required dame repairs and maintenance and $1.1 million in existing flood-control reserves. The funds cannot come from flood-control funds resulting from the recently approved sale tax extension

If approved, Luckstein said the future work will determine whether the current concept, or a modified version, can meet expectations related to the recent landmark designation of Silver Lake Park. It would also address state and federal requirements to maintain existing levels of flood protection.

“If we get to a point and we can't meet the intent of the historical preservation, that's a reason for denial,” Luckstein said. “The final project would then be denied and not move forward to construction. If it can't meet the structure’s flood protection requirements, that would again be a reason for denial.”

Munson said he’s hoping Monday’s rally prompts some review before the City Council commits added funding to the work.

“I think they owe it to the city of Rochester to at least discuss it,” he said. “Maybe they will decide after they discuss it that it’s the best thing to do and we’ll keep moving forward.”