Thank you, sir.

Please rise as you're able for the Pledge of Allegiance.

I pledge allegiance to the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands.

One nation are indivisible with liberty and justice for all.

Welcome everybody to our May 4th, 2026 Rochester City Council meeting.

We start every city council meeting with our open comment period.

This is an opportunity for for anyone from the public to address the council on items that we will not be taking a separate public hearing on later this evening.

Each person has up to two minutes to speak for a total of 20 minutes.

One, the stoplight here, and the second is the red uh counter on the uh on the wall over the administrative staff.

Uh I'd also request that each speaker be concise to allow more people to speak.

And participants are also encouraged to limit comments generally to topics that are within the scope and jurisdiction of the council's ability to affect policy.

Council members and staff do not respond to your comments during public comment, but instead will follow up on any specific requests separately.

If you have materials to share with the council, please give them to the city clerk who is to my right, and uh she will distribute them.

I will invite you up as you signed in.

And first up is Lisa Wiley.

Welcome.

Thank you.

Good evening, and may the fourth be with you.

Yes.

Um my name's Lisa Wiley, and I live at 121 14th Street Northeast.

And I just wanted to bring a topic up.

Um, this fall, the city is preparing to move forward with a plan to remove Silver Lake Dam, something the council will undoubtedly be asked to do without full funding for the project or approval by the residents.

This is being proposed in a large part based on the following misinformation provided by city staff over the decades.

These are things that I've heard.

Um the city states that Silver Lake Dam is unsafe, even though there have been no documented dam-related accidents or deaths in more than 90 years.

I wish we could say that for foster Airns.

The city says a smaller Silver Lake will still be present at the same level as before, but engine engineers now indicate that the water will be lower by almost a foot than it currently is.

The city implied the old dam was unsafe, and although two-thirds of the dam was rebuilt by the core in the 90s, and the other third was recently rebuilt, so it's not a 90-year-old project.

Um the city towned the new dam will provide recreational tubing, kayaking, and canoeing, although engineers indicate summer water flow will not usually support those activities.

The city stated the dam was originally built to provide cooling water for the power plant, and of course that's no longer needed.

But the power plant was built a decade after the dam, so I don't know if they were psychic.

Um we have also been told it's to appease the DNR.

This the city said the dam removal was part of a larger city project to remove the upstream impedements, something that's not known as a fact, as far as I can tell.

There's no documentation on that.

Um it was also stated that the current dam functions only to send spring ice breakup downstream, although it's lowered many times throughout the year.

I bike across the railroad track, they call the Silver Lake Bike Trail all the time, and I'll cross that dam.

And it's you, Miss Wiley.

You see the difference a lot.

So thank you.

Thank you.

Next up we have uh Sandra Gussie.

Geise.

Sandra Geise, 121 14th Street, Northeast.

As city staff push to remove the Silver Lake Dam, the following related facts for proposed dam removal concern many city residents.

The recent study session on the changes to dam removal was canceled during the council uninformed the leaving the council uninformed on proposed changes.

The Army Corps has not fully determined the impacts of dam removal on historical significance of Silver Lake Park or the impacts on flood control.

The DNR has concerns about the low summer flow on the recreational pools, making them potential fish death traps and not having enough water for the proposed fish mussel passageway.

Only two of the current council members were around when the original plans for dam removal were proposed.

A new mayor and potentially new council would inherit a controversial dam removal project pushed forward by current city leaders.

A year ago, preliminary cost estimates were 40% higher than original estimates.

With the current city construction climate, increased cost will be significant with no identified source to cover expenses.

Electric rate payers will be asked to pay a significant part of the dam removal costs through rate increases.

The council's role is to represent the citizens of Rochester, not rubber stamp the staff proposals.

Thank you.

Thank you.

That is uh all on the sign-up sheet.

If there are others who wish to address the council during open comment period, please step forward.

Anyone who wishes to speak, please step forward.

Seeing no one, I will close the public comment period and uh ask the city clerk to call the roll.

Good evening.