After a very productive December, progress on the project slowed during the month primarily due to weather.  Here’s an update on developments since the last communication at the end of the year.

• Schedule - January weather was difficult to say the least with about ten days of extreme cold. The spillway base was completed early in the month but temperatures dropped shortly thereafter and crews weren’t able to work for nearly two weeks.  Temperatures must be above freezing to pour concrete as no additives are used in the mix on this project. Work resumed late in the month and as of this writing the forecast is promising. Assuming no protracted delays, the concrete work should be completed during February. Backfilling, retaining wall construction and fence construction will now extend into March.
• Channel Construction - With the base complete, construction activities now shift to the side walls. The first section of both the east and west walls was poured on January 26th. About 100’ of walls are planned to be poured each week during February and the sidewalls should be completed by the end of the month. Forms must be left in place to protect the green concrete due to cold weather which slows progress.
  A new ground level retaining wall will be constructed on each side of the iron gates. This is referred to as the north wall. Construction on this wall will commence during February. Once the north wall is complete, a concrete slope protection layer will be poured and the north wall will be faced on both sides with natural limestone. A flume will direct surface water into the spillway and drainage improvements will be made in the area adjacent to the gate.
• South Spillway Wall - The south wall, which is the stone wall just above the spillway inside the gate, was not included in the original Pyramid contract as engineering was not complete and it was important to commence work on the spillway. This wall is highly compromised and needs to be replaced. A design has been finalized and costs obtained. The City Council will discuss this phase of the project at their meeting on February 5th. If approved, the plan will be for Pyramid to replace this wall through a change order to the existing contract. Construction of this wall will encroach into Lakeshore West and will disrupt traffic.  More details will be shared once a plan is finalized.
• Bridge Repair - Assuming no adverse weather, it is anticipated stonework will commence on the bridge during February. Repairs include tuckpointing, stone replacement and installing caps that will match the existing stonework across the dam wall.  Included in this is repair work to the two columns on each side of the iron gates. This phase of the project will also result in temporary lane closures. We appreciate your patience and will do what we can to minimize disruption.
  As part of the project, vegetation will be removed in the primary west and secondary east spillways. Joints will be cleaned and grouted to prevent regrowth of highly destructive vegetation.
• Lake Level - We’ve obviously had a much wetter than normal winter with several significant rain and snow events. This has caused the lake to flow across the soccer field that Todd Towery had so beautifully restored which is unfortunate but unavoidable.  After the spillway base was completed, we were in a position to partially open the gate. Water has been flowing now for about a month but the lake remains significantly higher than planned.  Once the spillway walls are complete, we hope to fully raise the gate to bring the lake down if it’s still high.
• Rehab and Beautification - Once the spillway walls are complete, an iron fence will be installed on top of both the east and west walls to prevent people from entering the channel.  New asphalt paving will replace all impacted roads and disturbed earth will be re-seeded and mat will be installed. The Garden Club and Golf Course maintenance teams are working on a landscaping plan for the area between Renner Road and the spillway including replacement of several trees. The wood stairs down to the waterfall will be rehabbed by the Natural Resources Committee later this spring.
• Safety - Job site safety remains paramount. There is considerable machine and personnel activity on Renner Road. This activity will shift to inside the gate when the bridge and south wall construction commences. Please respect work zones and drive slowly with your attention on the road when driving through the construction zone.  

Please feel free to contact Spillway Committee members if you have questions or comments. Pictures and drone footage of the project are below.

Spillway Committee Members:‍

• Annie Noland
• Win Zoellner
• Pat McAnany
• Dave McCullagh
• Brent Johnson (Olsson Engineering)