Why are the machines sitting idle?
On August 22nd the city council voted in a special session to include the swimming area in the scope of the streambank restoration project (a.k.a. "The Dredge"). The army corps of engineers determined that shaping the interior banks of the berm, clearing out under the bridges, and removing silt from the bed of the swimming area qualified as part of the project: this means that the federal money CAN be used to do this work. It will be paid for by the grant.
As part of this additional work, permitting specific to the swim and beach area must be completed before the machines can move in and begin the work. This paperwork turnaround is estimated to take ten days.
This week we can expect to see progress on the north bank of the stream (the house side), where clearing and brush cutting has already started. By mid-week the county will begin preliminaries for adjusting the water line that runs beside the portion of street slated to be lowered for the creation of a spillway (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RuPgsABKBmE).
The result? By the time Thanksgiving rolls around the city will begin to see the rewards of the hard work, patience, and difficult choices (e.g.,the necessary tree removal) Come summertime 2012 when we are swimming in a cleaner lake with a newly poured beach of white sand, we'll all be reaping the great benefits of our vastly improved environment.
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