CEDARBURG, Wis. — Cedarburg leaders are weighing the future of a historic dam near the city's Downtown.
Next month, the city's Common Council is poised to approve a roughly $60,000 feasibility study to look at the pros and cons of renovating or getting rid of the Woolen Mills dam along Cedar Creek.
The dam has been on the Council's radar for years now. Last year, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources designated it as high-risk. At the time, TMJ4's Lighthouse team looked into it's history and status among other dams in the area.
Although there is no imminent worry of it failing, the dam is just upstream from the city's downtown, meaning its failure could result in the loss of property or life.
A few years ago, the city estimated repairs would cost around $800,000, with some of the cost being offset by a grant. The Common Council at the time stated a desire to repair the dam, not remove it.
Cheryl Nenn with the non-profit Milwaukee Riverkeeper presented the case for removal to the Common Council earlier this year. She argues that removing the dam is healthier for the creek and the fish in it, while also saving money in the long run.
"It could be that you put a lot of money into the structure, and then you have, 10 years down the road, 20 years down the road, you're in the same situation again," Nenn said.
That plan has faced opposition from some city residents, who argue its removal would be in contrast with the city's mission to preserve its history. The Woolen Mills dam is one of multiple dams in the area that date back to the community's early days as a pioneer town.
Former newspaper reporter Paul Hayes lives just downstream from the dams, next to the pond they helped create.
Watch: Residents provide arguments for and against removing a historic Cedarburg dam
"This has no match, any place in the United States," Hayes said. "There were five pioneer dams in less than a mile. It's the reason this place settled."
Hayes is against the removal of the dam, arguing it is a slippery slope that could result in the loss of activities like fishing and ice skating on the pond in his backyard.
"It's like cutting off the arm of a complete body," Hayes said. "It's just the beginning — To do that to save a million bucks in taxes, I simply can't fathom it."
If approved, the feasibility study would provide the council with updated cost estimates for both potential solutions.
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