Dam gate installed on Red Mill Pond

Two weeks after Evans Street was closed at Tecumseh’s Red Mill Pond dam, the road was closed again on Wednesday, Nov. 5, for just a few hours, but this time it was to reinstall the refurbished steel gate, which will allow the repair process at the dam to continue. Now that the steel gate at the dam is repaired and replaced, work will be ongoing on repairing the security fence and steel catwalk as the pond is slowly refilled over the next few weeks. Replacing the gate went “smoothly,” according to Stephen May, Lenawee County Drain Commissioner. Concrete repair work along with rehabbing the gate winch has been completed as well. May noted that the gate, which is bare metal, has been treated to protect it. The remaining work is expected to be completed by early December. The pond will be refilled up to six inches per day, starting Thursday, Nov. 6, said May, until it reaches the winter water level, which will add about four feet to the pond level. On October 1, lowering of the pond began, with about five feet of water being removed. The drain commission took on most of the repairs to the dam once the only bid for the project was rejected after it asked for almost double the $315,000 estimated cost.“It’s not something we do everyday,” said May. “We’re glad we got to use local people.” On Monday, Nov 10. From 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., one lane of Evans Street will be closed at the dam as the catwalk is removed. At a later date, when the catwalk is replaced, a lane will be closed then as well.