Pigeon Lake refill underway
By Erik Buchinger
The city of Clintonville began refilling Pigeon Lake on Thursday, June 13.
City Administrator Sharon Eveland said the process will take about three weeks due to Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources restrictions that limit refilling to 6 inches per day.
“We have to keep the gates open a little bit, but otherwise people are out there a few times a day and even at night depending on the circumstances,” Eveland said. “The (police department) might check the levels. We have a gauge out there to make sure we’re not exceeding that 6 inches.”
Eveland said the dam gate is lowered and raised as needed.
“I’m ecstatic to finally have this done,” Eveland said. “It’s been frustrating to say the least with this whole process.”
Eveland said she appreciates the understanding of Clintonville’s Riverside Golf Course during the project.
“We’ve been concerned about the golf course with the ability to keep their greens looking nice,” Eveland. “The city certainly understands, and we’re glad it’s finally done. … This has been frustrating.”
Eveland said a few tasks need to be completed before the project is officially finished.
“As far as construction, we are about 75% done with the physical work, but everything is done as far as being able to operate the dam,” Eveland said. “There are a few minor things that need a little work to be done, but the bulk of it is finished.”
The dam repair project was expected to be done May 31 but exceeded the deadline by two weeks.
Eveland said the extended process will not cost the city any additional money.
“This was not something the city delayed or problems they ran into that the city would have to pay for,” Eveland said. “It’s not making the cost of the project go up.”
Eveland said the missed deadline will not impact any other projects the city is completing.
“We were concerned on the financial impact on other projects we have going on, but the road construction projects are working around that without any additional expense,” Eveland said. “We were concerned initially that would be a problem, but that doesn’t appear to be happening.”
Eveland said she is glad the city repaired the dam after seeing what the lake looked like during the drawdown.
“The DNR was clear that if we didn’t repair the dam, we would have had to take it out,” Eveland said. “Everyone saw what that area looked like during the drawdown. It was either fix the dam and go through the process or not and the lake would permanently look like what it was during the drawdown, which I don’t think anybody would want.”
Eveland said she is excited for the city moving forward now that the project is near its completion.
“We all know people like having a lake out here,” Eveland said. “It can definitely be a draw for people to have that recreation aspect here.”
Eveland said the project cost approximately $560,000 from start to finish. A little less than half the project was funded with grant dollars.