Another Open Letter to the Fairfield City Council on Walton Lake

1. The City Council voted for the Culvert system, not knowing that the City had no responsibility to replace the Golf Cart Bridge under the terms of the lease.

2. The Option that was on the table for the City to “Do Nothing” at no cost to the City and could still be considered in the lease negotiations with the Walton Club.

3. That spending taxpayer funds on the bridge is purely discretionary, and the City has other pressing needs.

4. The Council did not know that the suspension/truss style of bridge design were adequate to meet the needs of the golf course. For example, the City were provided an example of such bridges that have a 16,000-pound load capacity in either a 72-foot or 84-foot length.

5. The City Council also did not know that a culvert installation would be forever unhealthy for the lake, as it blocks the natural flow of water, that the lake would need to be almost entirely drained, and could take up to 3 years for the lake to refill.

6. And now, the City knows that the permit for the construction is in addition to the drawdown permit and that that permit has not yet been issued.

7. Further, that the drawdown was started before the legally required comment period expired and that these comments must be considered before any decision is made by the DNR.

8. That the City has no legitimate fear of Drish suing them, as the construction permit from the DNR has to be issued before they can legally start on the construction.

9. That the City may have a claim for damages that result from proceeding with the drawdown prior to approval for the Project being granted and for failure to respect the due process rights of the affected persons.

10. That the City has just been informed that there is at least a 12-week wait before the 8 by 10 box culvert can be delivered, and that the project may very well not be possible this year, in any event.

11. That private citizens who strongly support a solution that is better for the ecology of the lake have already obtained pledges of $27,000.00 and remain willing to raise additional funds to help pay for a better solution.

12. Whereas, to resolve all of these issues, ensure that a fully informed decision is made, and end the necessity of the current district court legal proceeding, the following Resolution is proposed:

Be it hereby resolved that:

THE CITY PAUSES THE DRAINING OF THE WALTON LAKE TO ALLOW FOR THE DNR’S COMPLETION OF THE PROJECT PERMIT PROCESS; THE CITY ISSUES A REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL FOR A SUSPENSION/TRUSS STYLE BRIDGE THAT IS ENGINEERED TO COMPLY WITH APPLICABLE STANDARDS AND UPON RECEIPT, REVIEWS, AND COMPARES THE COST AND DESIRABILITY OF SUCH OFFERS WITH A CULVERT SYSTEM NOW BEING PROPOSED.

Sincerely,

Ed Noyes

Fairfield