Posted on August 26, 2024
By Kim Lewicki, Highlands Newspaper
Photo by Brian O’Shea
For years, literally decades, members of the Mirror Lake Improvement Association have been trying to restore Mirror Lake to its former glory.
Late Mayor Buck Trott and members of the MLIA were on track for a while but astronomical costs associated with removing silt from the lake coupled with environmental stipulations as to its resting place stopped the quest.
Though governmental funding was sought but not obtained in the past, recently, a 5-million-dollar grant was secured from the state. This, added to the private money raised by MLIA, has ensured the four-phase dredging operation can begin.
At the August Town Board meeting, Mayor Pat Taylor said the privately raised funds proved citizens had “skin in the game” which helped state representatives Kevin Corbin and Karl Gillespie push and get funding.
“We were looking for leadership because the town doesn’t own the lake and now that we have that, the state has stepped in. The town is just the grant agent,” he said.
With money in hand for phase 1, dredging by River Sand, Inc is set to begin late September or early October.
According to Pat Gleeson, who with his Mirror Lake neighbors and members of MLIA, has worked to make the restoration of Mirror Lake a reality, phase 1 should take six months.
The town will disburse the funds for phases 2-4 with steps toward that end beginning last Thursday when the engineering contract with McGill Engineering was finalized. McGill will now begin determining the Scope of Services for Phase 2. McGill expects phases 2-4 to take 1 ½ years to complete.
“We will begin by gathering data to develop an understanding of the tasks that have been accomplished to date and define the full breadth of tasks required to design and permit Phase 2 and beyond,” said a McGill representative.
Meanwhile, Gleeson said preparing for Phase 1 has begun. Owners of canoes stored at the lake’s edge have been asked to remove them.
“We will post a sign on the property giving boat owners 30 days to remove their watercraft and we are asking the town if any unclaimed boats can be stored in the lot behind the dog park,” he said.
In addition, Town Manager Josh Ward requested MLIA to get temporary easements from 10 property owners along the shoreline and Dobson Ridge.
“Those are being delivered and signed as we speak,” said Gleeson.
Separate permits based on water quality were required – one from the NC Dept. of Water Quality and the Corps of Engineers – both of which have been issued and approved.
“Subsequently, a full dredging permit has been issued River Sand which means work can begin,” said Gleeson. “Full drawings of where we plan to place the de-watering tubes which were finalized three years ago, have been sent to the town and McGill.”
Basically, the silt/water mixture will be sucked into tubes where the silt will be de-watered and dried. Once dry, it will be transported to locations in town, presumably in need of fill.
A 250-yard swath will be dredged both upstream of the Mirror Lake bridge and downstream removing any ‘islands’ in those swaths – something Bob Johnston requested during the public hearing portion of the Town Board meeting.
Plans for phase 2 include dredging an 11-foot wide channel about four feet deep from the bridge up Mill Creek to Cullasaja Road something else Johnston requested remembering how he used to be able to drive into the lake from the bridge.
Phase 3 and 4 will involve dredging up to Big Pine Acres and downstream to the dam.
During the public comment period of Thursday’s Town Board meeting, MLIA member and Mirror Lake homeowner for 22 years, Paul Barnett claimed a lack of transparency concerning the dredging project and said he wished the MLIA board had taken advantage of the expertise of 15-year resident Dan Evans. He said he was a president and CEO of running strategic oil reserves for the U.S who has dealt with Congress, the House, EPA, the Corps of Engineers, Clean Water and more.
“He should be on MLIA board, chairman of dredging and maintenance or something. I’m really talking to the MLIA board right now, not the Town Board,” he said. “We haven’t gotten our phone calls returned in four years and we don’t like the direction of how this has gone. We want to know why so much has been done in the dark. You need to give him a chance,” concluded Barnett.
Gleeson said with MLIA now ready to enter into a contract with River Sand dredging is set to begin.
