LIVING HERE
The lagoon is back on the agenda at the piers, harbor, and lakefront committee meeting.
Dredging is the next project on the list of many to be planned and completed. Of course, nothing about this important but small waterway has been simple. Dam repairs, seawall repairs, pier removal, and potentially pier installation. The completed projects include the pier removal and the dam repairs. The seawall is next which is scheduled to be done this spring. The next step is the dredging. The committee is trying to get the Towers on board with financial support in the dredging. As of right now the Towers representative and the city are working on coordinating a time to meet.
The task order for the lagoon dredging is still not voted on and the bids for pier replacement are already being discussed. Six bids from five different contractors were submitted to the city. Two of the six bids came from BruceSki’s but did not meet specifications and are not up for consideration. The Harbor Master recommended the lowest bidder and the bids that would impede the water flow the least. Nothing was voted on regarding the pier bids at the last meeting and was only up for discussion.
Geneva Lake Level Corporation representative Larry Larkin gave a quick recap of the history of the lagoon and the importance of the lagoon to the entire lake. This corporation is advocating for the boat slips not to be replaced in the lagoon. Larkin shared a little history on the lagoon to further explain the GLLC’s involvement with the lagoon. Back in 1835 Christopher Payne obtained a government land grant and acquired the water rights to the lagoon. Payne then built the dam and harnessed the energy to power his sawmill providing the area with lumber. This dam raised the level of the lake by seven feet and increased the lake’s surface by 11%. By 1890 there were three mills near Burger King creating cloth and grit, and a typewriter factory all drawing power from the lake making the water level fluctuate by three to four feet. The water level continuously fluctuating did not work well for the private and commercial boat owners. In 1894 the three mills and the water rights came up for sale and purchased by Henry Porter a railroad inventor and steel company executive purchased the property. He organized a new company, The Lake Geneva Water Power and Lake Level Protection Company.
Improvements were made to create a permanent dam and concrete spillway with water waste and a set of gates to regulate the water level and was completed in 1915. As a result, the Lake Geneva Water Power and Lake Level Protection Company owns the dam, spillway, and gates today. In 1959 the company was turned into a not-for-profit corporation and was reorganized as the Geneva Lake level Corporation. In 2002 The lagoon received some great upgrades including walkway lights and improvements to the mechanics of the area with support including financial support from all municipalities that share the lake. Previously the GLLC was able to work with the city and other municipalities when improvements were made, splitting the cost of projects four ways this does not seem to be the case in recent projects. The GLLC is all about what’s best for the lake and believes this will impede water flow and is not good for the lake. All the proposals for pier installation include items that would impede water flow.
The GLLC has and continues to be opposed to any piers in the lagoon including the Tower’s piers. The piers, harbor, and lakefront committee discussed many different scenarios on how to accommodate the boat slip renters who were left without a slip when the lagoon slips were removed. The two different open water pier systems were looked at in detail and both were voted down. The potential pier replacement has not yet been decided, and the dredging of the lagoon is next on the list of things to do in the lagoon but has still been an active discussion. The committee seems to still be focused on returning the misplaced lagoon slip renters to the lagoon no matter the effects on the budget or the lake. The piers, harbor, and lakefront chair will be sending all information to the city attorney for legalities on the issue. Are piers the best financial decision for the city and the lake?
