Interest high on the future of Trout River Dam
by Richard Lamb–Advance Editor
A crowded room of about 60 persons filled the Rogers City City Council chambers last week for an informational meeting on the status of the Trout River Dam. The stated purpose of bringing the City Council and the board of directors of the Presque Isle Conservation District (PICD) together also invited input from the public.
“The primary purpose of having the workshop today was information sharing. It was to allow citizens to share their concerns, but it was also to hear from the conservation district as to what was behind their decision. They had made the decision to remove the dam,” Mayor Scott McLennan said after the meeting.
Although input from many of the audience members who were granted three minutes to give statements favored keeping the dam or repairing it, the dam is still slated for removal. After permits are secured, that removal could take place as soon as two years from now. 
“We heard from everyone today. We heard the pros and cons and we heard options. I think that we have a better understanding now about why things are transpiring the way they are at the moment. I don’t know where it will lead from here but I think that the public to understand the Trout River Dam situation,” mayor McLennan said.
The dam located in the Herman Vogler Conservation Area (HVCA) just north of the city limits, is owned by the PICD. Some raised the possibility of a transfer of ownership to the city or joint ownership between the two entities. The city already does much maintenance work at the HVCA.
“I look forward to collaboration with the city and I look forward to the public helping us craft what the site is going to look like in the next five to 15 years,” said Frank Sapio, chairman of the PICD board.
As to confirming the status of the dam, the decision of the PICD stands. The dam will be removed. All the board members of the PICD attended the meeting including Leann Hopp, Gary Wregglesworth, Lawrence Anderson and Hilary McLennan. Council members attending were Gary Nowak, Timeen Adair, Larry Fuhrman and Ken Bielas, along with mayor McLennan.
“We had a 4-0 vote. I don’t vote as chair, but I support their vote. They did a bang-up job of analysis. So that decision has been made. Depending on what the city wants to do, there may be some, how do I want to say this—there could be some timeline changes. Could there be added features in a restoration that we have
HE LEFT the door open for the question of ownership of the property, or some type of partnership now owned by the PICD.
“The ownership is another question. If truly we could bring more public money to the table, I would like to talk about that. We have a vision for Vogler. We don’t want to give it up. But if giving it up means a better public good, I will bring it to the table,” Sapio speculated.
(Full story is in the Sept. 12, 2024 print edition of the Presque Isle County Advance)
