Town commissioners in Hope Mills have a plan for repairing the broken Hope Mills Dam. The dam failed last June leaving the Hope Mills Lake dry. The town's attorney presented the plan during a commissioner's meeting this week. It calls for repairing the existing dam rather than building a new one. The companies that built the dam will repair it at their expense. Mayor Eddie Dees says he's happy to have the plan.
Eddie Dees: "It's just a great step forward. You know, it's been a year since the dam went out. To have a plan of repair and to know that it is repairable, it doesn't have to be torn down and started from scratch, is good news and we're excited about the possibility of getting the lake back sooner than we thought."
Commissioners this week approved another $100,000 payment to MBP Engineering, a Raleigh firm overseeing the work. That brings total payments to the firm to 240-thousand dollars. Mayor Eddie Dees says he's confident it's a good investment.
Dees: "I mean it's going for these people to come in and check behind everything and to make sure that what they're doing this time is going to fix all the problems and make it a workable solution."
The plan needs to be finalized. Then the Board of Commissioners and state Dam Safety officials will have to give it their ok. Dees says he's not sure exactly when the lake will be restored.
Dees: "I'm very optimistic though that we'll have the lake back by next summer, best case scenario. We're just really, really happy, real excited, and I know the town's people will be excited to get their lake back."