Mounds Lake, if proven to be successful, will require the commitment of the entire region. This process will be measured in months and years. We are in a marathon with many hurdles to clear. Certainly this project is of a scale like no other for the communities involved. Our focus is to go through each step carefully to assure the project is feasible and planned well. The next proposed Phase II study will look deeper into environmental and river valley issues, as well as property and bridge impact.
The building of the final project cannot be determined until many months of work and planning is completed. At any step in the process we could be tripped by a “hurdle” we can’t clear and the project could die. Make no mistake, we are in the early days of a very long and demanding race.
To date the data looks promising. Should the communities move to form the Mounds Lake Commission, we will begin the Phase II work with a goal to complete that stage by early winter.
Phase III is measured in several steps playing out over three years or more. By the end of that stage, we will know if the project is buildable and will be built.
Phase IV involves land acquisition and Phase V construction. Combined, these two steps will require about four years.
Updates 4/28/2013
Next steps … During May we will be submitting to each of the governmental boards a Resolution to support continuing in Phase II Feasibility Study. Dates and times of those public meetings will be posted on the calendar in advance of those meetings. It will be a non-binding Resolution written to express joint cooperation to support and explore feasibility of the project.
The creation of the Mounds Lake Commission will be reviewed during Phase II and only implemented should the Project move into Phase III. It would still require an ordinance at that time and the public hearings in each governmental units to be formed.
Due to the growing interest within the community for involvement, we are proposing the Phase II Study include a community planning component. This will require several meetings during the summer of 2013 in each of the communities impacted by Mounds Lake. Additional costs for this will be definied in the near future. This would have been completed in Phase III and been factored into the earlier cost estimates.