A dam in northern Michigan will be rebuilt after the state and public spent more than two years scraping together money to fund the $1.7 million renovation.
In 2023, a state official told WCMU it would take a "miracle" to save the Cornwall dam in the Pigeon River Country State Forest. But the high-hazard dam will be rebuilt, now that a contractor has been selected.
The public raised around $200,000 for the dam, and the Michigan Department of Natural Resources pulled around half-a-million from fish and game licenses that are necessary for the project.
Curtis Goldsborough, with the group Save Cornwall, said it will likely take regular fundraisers to support the dam's long-term maintenance.
"There are several hundred people who have deep family roots and multi-generational memories and connections to that place," Goldsborough said. "Those are the people who I know for a fact would love to, to support it."
Construction at Cornwall is expected to start this summer and be completed by the end of the year.
"They're building a completely different type of structure, from an engineering perspective," Goldsborough said. "It is going to look quite a bit different than it does today. But ultimately that's part of the process and is required to meet regulations moving forward and make sure that it stays compliant."
Editor's note: The Michigan DNR is a financial supporter of WCMU. We report on them as we do with any other organization.
