# Grant approved for Hamlin Dam repairs



## Hamilton Reef (Jan 20, 2000)

Grant approved for Hamlin Dam repairs 

 Federal grant requires 
25 percent match from local/state sources 

 Work could be done in 2007 

By BRIAN MULHERIN, Daily News Staff Writer, 8/12/04 [email protected] , 845-5181, ext. 348

If things go as planned, the Hamlin Lake dam will get extensive repair work in 2007.

Mary Nardo, a planner with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources said she received notification from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service last week that a grant application for the project has been approved. The grant for $1,164,533 comes from the Federal Aid in Sportfish Restoration Act, also known as the Dingell-Johnson Act. The act established excise taxes on fishing tackle in 1950 to fund projects related to fishing. 

The biggest hurdle the project faces is that it requires 25 percent matching funds from state and/or local sources. Nardo said the DNR has applied for several grants to help pick up some of the $388,178 in matching funds, but the Department is also hoping for local help. 

Were pursuing funding in a number of grant forms, but wed like to have local participation because of the economic benefits the dam provides to Hamlin Lake itself, Nardo said. 

The dam was built in 1912 and is in dire need of repair. 

Nardo said the state, which owns the dam, has been aware that the structure has been way beyond its life expectancy for some time and has tried to get various other grants. Because the state owns the dam, the DNR was not eligible to apply for its own fisheries grants this year, which had a stated focus of dam projects. 

She said the recent work on the walkway across the dam was done with the dam repair project in mind, but that the DNR wasnt comfortable waiting until the dam was repaired to do improvements.

That had been in the works for about five years, Nardo said of the walkway project. 

Kent Gage, president of the Hamlin Lake Preservation Society, was delighted to read the news in an e-mail from Nardo. 

I dont have a lot of details, in terms of the timeframes, but it was the first piece of positive news weve had on that, Gage said. 

Nardo said the dam, which is currently operated by Ludington State Park staffers physically removing and replacing wooden boards to keep the lake at court-ordered levels, would probably be automated as part of the repair process. 

We havent done the final engineering yet, Nardo said.


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## Hamilton Reef (Jan 20, 2000)

County may seek local matching funds for Hamlin dam repair grant

By BRIAN MULHERIN, Daily News Staff Writer 

http://www.ludingtondailynews.com/news.php?story_id=25899

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources has asked Mason County for its help in finding funds for the repairs needed on the Hamlin Lake dam. 
The dam, which was built in 1913 and is owned by the state, rests within the boundaries of Ludington State Park. 

A letter from Carol Skillings, the grant coordinator for the DNRs parks department, states that although the Department of Environmental Quality found the dam to be in fair condition in 1998, the DEQ report also said the dams condition could become critical within a few years.

The DNR was awarded a federal grant under the Federal Aid in Sport Fish Restoration Act, which collects excise taxes from fishing and boating equipment manufactured in the United States. The grant for $1,164,533 requires a 25 percent match of $388,178. The Friends of Hamlin Lake has committed $45,000 toward the match amount, according to Skillings letter. 

Skillings letter asks the county to investigate a Community Development Block Grant for the remainder of the funds. 

I think the initial reaction is that there is interest in it, but the board did not make a decision on it, said Mason County Administrator Fabian Knizacky. 

Knizacky said the request was referred to the Finance Committee, which could bring it back before the board as early as February. 

I think the lake and the park are a very important part of our tourist industry and I think its important that the dam be kept in good shape, Knizacky said. 

The preliminary plans for the repairs call for the dam to be upgraded from a manually controlled structure to one with automatic water-level controls. State park employees currently raise and lower the lake two feet each spring and fall, respectively, to protect shoreline property, by removing boards manually from the structure.


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## Hamilton Reef (Jan 20, 2000)

County to apply for Hamlin Dam grant 

By JESSICA VANDERKOLK, Daily News Staff Writer, 2-10-2005

http://www.ludingtondailynews.com/news.php?story_id=26239

Several projects in Mason County will move forward with the submission of grant applications after approval Wednesday by the Mason County Board of Commissioners.

One of those is for repairs to the Hamlin Lake Dam. The state Department of Natural Resources has requested help from the county to apply for a Community Development Block Grant to help fund those repairs. A mandate from the state Department of Environmental Quality requires that the repairs be complete by Dec. 31, 2005. 

We have a federal grant for $800,000, said Kent Gage of the Hamlin Lake Preservation Society. Theres a 25 percent state match required with that. 

The board voted to assist with a grant application, seeking to secure the funding for that match. 

Jim Pinkerton, District 4 (Hamlin Township) commissioner, said hes sure everyone knows the importance of repairing the dam. 

Its vitally important that we maintain that, he said.


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