Posted on December 3, 2020
A $13.3 million proposal for Silver Lake received enough Rochester City Council support Monday to move forward to the next stage of planning.
“It sounds like there is a lot of consensus for moving forward, a few questions, but that’s OK,” said Council President Randy Staver.
Matt Crawford, project development manager for Rochester Public Works, said many of the lingering questions will require a final design to be answered.
He said the current proposal is based on early efforts to determine whether the plan to combine a new trail extension, pedestrian bridge and dam modification with required dredging efforts is feasible.
The added work, some of which is in long-term city plans, was determined to be possible, but adds to the estimated $5.1 million in dredging costs.
Dredging the lake, which hasn’t been done since the mid-1990s, is required for flood control, since the lake was designed as a trap to keep sediment from flowing further downstream.
Since the lake level must be lowered during the dredging process, Crawford said Public Works and Parks and Recreation staff worked on a plan that could take advantage of the temporary change in 2022.
The lower water level would allow for construction of a trail extension on parkland along the lake’s north side, as well as modifications allowing removal of the existing dam structure and providing natural controls to keep the lake at its current level while also opening access for water recreation downstream.
Added to the mix is a planned pedestrian bridge across the lake east of Broadway Avenue.
Council member Shaun Palmer, who represents the city ward that includes Silver Lake Park, said the dredging is needed, but the rest of the project should be considered in pieces.
“I want to separate everything,” he said, suggesting the city could modify 14th Street Northeast to make it more pedestrian-friendly rather than creating the trail extension, which comes with a nearly $1.9 million price tag.
He’s also opposed to the $4 million for the dam modification, which would create connected pools of water on 8 acres of the lake’s approximately 50 acres, leaving space for higher water to fill other areas when flooding occurs.
Palmer pointed to the change as eliminating 750 acres of shoreline.
Council member Michael Wojcik, however, said much of the shoreline isn’t accessible to the public, since it sits behind private homes and has no trail access.
“Unusable shoreline along the lake is being replaced by usable shoreline along the stream,” he said, adding that he believes many of the concerns stem from the park’s neighbors.
Crawford said a recent online survey completed by approximately 300 people showed 75% support for creating the north trail and modifying the dam. Support increased to 78% for the proposed pedestrian bridge.
Council member Nick Campion said the bridge is a crucial public safety need, pointing to concerns with the existing 6-foot sidewalk along the Broadway Avenue bridge.
“I refuse to take my family over it,” he said. “I know a number of families in the community who also refuse to do that. It simply is not going to stand the test of time and seriously detracts from what is otherwise a huge community asset.”
Crawford said the existing bridge cannot be reconfigured and has decades of use left before it will need to be replaced with an option to improve the pedestrian crossing.
While the majority of council members approved moving the project forward, which will include seeking required state approvals, several also voiced concerns about funding the effort.
Current plans call for seeking state support for $6.7 million in bonding, with the remainder coming from the $5.1 million in flood-control funds for the dredging project, $1.24 million from savings on long-term dam maintenance and repair, and $360,000 in park funds.
Crawford said city staff could also seek state dam safety or trail funds, as well as consider local stormwater funds for the project.
Council member Mark Bilderback said he believes other sources will need to be tapped before the state provides infrastructure funds through a bonding bill. He said he’s spoken to local lawmakers who indicated support was needed from other agencies in the state.
Council member Patrick Keane said the state funds will be crucial to move the project forward.
“I don’t think this gets done without state bonding,” he said. “I think that’s the best source of funding with the other ones you list.”
With plans to move ahead with the project, it means city staff will seek to secure funding and develop a final plan next year to stay ahead of the 2022 dredging project.
The schedule also means four new council members, along with Campion, Keane and Palmer, will vote on the final request for approval of the project.
Source: postbulletin
