Rock Rapids, Iowa — Rock Rapids Mayor Jason Chase says there’s been some confusion over the city’s plans for the big dam in the city’s Island Park.
We had a chance to talk with him, and he says the city council is not trying to get rid of the historic dam, despite what public opinion appears to be.
Chase says that despite the fact that the dam is not needed to provide water power to run a mill as it was in its early days, the council is well aware of the recreational, historic and aesthetic aspects of the dam. However, they also need to keep safety of citizens and other park users in mind. He says the DNR and the council are considering several options to make the dam safer.
Chase says he is taking at least some of the blame for the misunderstanding. He says he found an article in the Des Moines Register talking about how, in communities that actually had removed their dams — the fishing had actually improved, due to better chance for the fish to travel and spawn. Chase says he sent this article to a resident, who sent it to another resident who had just heard about the grant that the city was getting to study the dam, and in the Mayor’s words, “the whole thing just spiraled out of control.”
Some of the options being considered are side channels, stair steps, and more. He says that’s why they need to bring in professional help.
Chase says the smaller dam downstream just north of the old railroad trestle is actually more of a concern.
Before the flood in the summer of 2014, the city had contracted with park planning firm, Confluence, to get some ideas for improving the park. The flood had an impact on those plans, but that is still moving forward too. One of the things the plan calls for is a new Mini Zoo to replace the one that was destroyed in the flood. We’ll tell you more about that in future newscasts and on kiwaradio.com.
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