2014-03-25 Ltr. from City of Hugo - Bald Eagle Lake Dam

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H City of ugo 14669 Fitzgerald Avenue North, Hugo, MN 55038 (651) 762 -6300 www.cilugo.mn.us March 25, 2014 To: Bill Short, White Bear Township Clerk Treasurer Jeff Karlson, Lino Lakes City Administrator Dallas Larson, Centerville City Administrator Phil Belfiori, Rice Creek Watershed District Administrator Jim Moore, Bald Eagle Lake Association President Re: Bald Eagle Lake Dam For the past several years, the dam at the north end of Bald Eagle Lake has been in need of replacement. The City of Hugo, although not the owner of the actual dam, has taken steps toward replacing the dam in the interest of public safety and welfare. At this point, the following activities have occurred: • Construction plans were completed by the City and were approved by MnDot. • The estimated cost of the replacement is $600,000. • Funding was secured from MnDot in the amount of $252,000. • An application for funding through the DNR Dam Safety program was submitted to fund the remainder of the project cost. This funding will be dependent on the actions of the 2014 legislature regarding the bonding bill. In the meantime, the dam itself remains in a state of disrepair, and requires regular inspections and escalating maintenance activities to minimize the risk of failure. To date, the City of Hugo's Public Works staff has completed inspections, and City funds have been expended on repairs that took place last year. We anticipate that there will be significant flow through the outlet this spring, which will create a fair amount of stress on the dam and outlet structure. Based on field inspections by our Public Works staff, we believe that additional maintenance activities should be performed in order to minimize risk. This would consist of placing large rip -rap at the downstream end of the dam to shore up the weir wall and minimize undermining of the dam itself. The cost estimate for the work is approximately $20,000. You are receiving this letter because a portion of the lake may be within an area you represent, you may be impacted by downstream impacts, or you may have an interest in maintaining levels in the lake for water quality, recreation, or other purposes. We are asking for assistance in performing the short-term maintenance activities. The City of Hugo will coordinate the work using our own staff; however, we request funding assistance from you to help defray the cost of the work. Thank you for your consideration of this request. The City of Hugo remains committed to finding a funding solution so that the dam can be replaced, again despite the fact that the