Posted on December 13, 2016
By Pat Maurer, Clare County Review
Next week Lake Shamrock residents and property owners may be getting an overview of the engineering study and the estimated costs to dredge the lake and remove years of accumulated sediment.
City Manager Ken Hibl will soon be mailing the documents out.
The $40,000 engineering study by Progressive Engineering of Grand Rapids, was authorized by the Lake Shamrock Improvement Board last spring, and will be paid for through a special assessment that is already approved.
As part of the study, historical data available for Lake Shamrock was reviewed, the lake bottom was mapped, sediment samples were collected and analyzed, and evaluations were made of various dredging alternatives.
For each dredging alternative, estimates of probable construction costs were developed and alternatives to organize and finance a dredging project on Lake Shamrock were evaluated.
Lake Shamrock were first mapped by the Michigan Department of Conservation in 1964 when much of the bottom of Lake Shamrock was sand. “When comparing the original 1964 map with the recent depth map, it is apparent that that much of the west end of Lake Shamrock has filled in since the lake was originally mapped,” the engineering study said. “Since the lake was first mapped, Lake Shamrock has lost about 25% of its volume,” the study said. “In total, to return the lake to its original depths and volume, approximately 127,500 cubic yards of sediment would need to be dredged from the lake.”
Dredging methods were outlined in the report and three alternatives presented ranging from a high of $4,400,000 (hydraulic dredging with tube disposal); $2,860,000 (hydraulic dredging with an open holding cell disposal) and Mechanical Dredging with trucking of the dredged material to a disposal site, (suggested at the Clare Airport). At a cost of $1,241,250, the third alternative was the one recommended by Progressive Engineers.
The assessment for the third and least expensive alternative, which would include obtaining equipment for the process that could be used for future dredging as well, is $12,412 per-parcel. The dredging would be handled by Department of Public Works personnel. The study showed an annual assessment for five years at $2,482 per year plus interest. There are 100 parcels around the lake.
John Owen, a property owner, said an unofficial poll of “35 to 40 people” all said they couldn’t afford that.
Acting City Manager Steven Kingsbury said the assessment could also be repaid over a ten, fifteen or 20 year period, which would reduce the cost per parcel to a more manageable amount. He said the assessment would not take into account future dredging. They said the cost per-parcel over a longer term would be included in the information sent out to property owners.
The next step in the process would be polling property owners to see if there is support for a project. “If there is support,” the study said, “the lake board can consider initiating formal special assessment proceedings which would include written notice and public hearings on the practicability of the project and the special assessment roll.”
Source: Clare County Review
