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Residents press council over Powder/Potter Hill dam work; council authorizes grant‑funded community engagement amid calls for independent project manager
Summary
Public commenters urged the council to drop or restructure Fuss & O'Neil's role in the Powder/Potter Hill dam project, citing wetlands and flooding concerns; the council approved grant‑funded community engagement services but directed staff to explore a town project manager and further oversight.
Residents and experts pressed the Wesley Town Council on Sept. 16 about the town’s ongoing work on the Powder/Potter Hill dam project and its consultant relationships.
Multiple speakers told the council they lacked confidence in recent engineering work and argued the town should not deepen its contractual ties to Fuss & O'Neil without independent oversight. Speakers raised environmental and property concerns, noting alleged inconsistencies in modeling and downstream flooding projections and urging alternatives such as a modern fish ladder rather than dam removal or extensive reconstruction.
Carl Rosen (speaker 11) and others noted fiscal figures tied to the project and urged cheaper fixes. “For less than $4,400,000, you could replace the dam’s gates or install a state‑of‑the‑art fish ladder,” Rosen said, urging caution before additional consultant spending.
Councilors and staff debated whether the town should hire an independent project manager to evaluate consultant claims. Several councilors, including those skeptical of Fuss & O'Neil, said a town project manager would better protect residents’ interests; others noted that some community engagement work is a grant requirement.
A resolution authorizing the town manager to enter into a contract for professional services related to community engagement on the dam project — work funded by an external grant (NOAA) — was debated, motioned and recorded. The manager said the community engagement contract is a grant stipulation and funded by NOAA with no town match. After an initial tie and subsequent motion to reconsider, the council advanced the resolution while also directing the manager to prepare an RFP for a possible town project manager to provide independent oversight.
Councilors asked that the manager and solicitor return with more detailed budgeting and options; the manager said there is grant funding in multiple years (design first, then construction) and that the town will bring contract awards back to council for approval. Several councilors signaled they would press for more transparency and a formal project‑management plan to run in parallel with any grant‑funded community work.
What happens next: the manager will prepare procurement details for both the community engagement contract and an RFP for a town project manager, and the council will consider those proposals at future meetings. The council also scheduled a special Potter Hill meeting in the coming weeks to continue the record and public input.
