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Residents urge saving Krause/Crouse Pond; city cites $2.5M estimate and safety concerns
Summary
Homeowners urged the Green City Council to pursue dam restoration and offered to cost-share; city officials and the mayor said updated estimates put restoration near $2.5 million and favored removal as the financially viable option. Council asked administration to seek updated estimates and consider grant-eligible stream-restoration alternatives.
Tim Smith and a series of residents spoke at length about Krause (also referred to as Crouse) Pond on Aug. 13, telling council they prefer to preserve the pond and are willing to partner financially. "Our preference is to save the lake, and we would like to keep that pathway open," Tim Smith said, noting residents had offered cost-sharing and the opportunity to acquire the property for joint remediation.
Homeowner Jude Kroll reviewed parcel maps and the history of state inspections dating to 2010 and noted an earlier Thrasher engineering report (March 2023) that listed alternatives including full restoration (alternative 4) with a roughly $900,000 estimate. Kroll and other residents said they could not reconcile that figure with later assessments that showed a large price increase. "In the end the cost went up to 2 and a half million dollars, and we never really understood why from 900k," Kroll said.
Mayor and administration told residents the city’s best estimate for restoring the dam and pond infrastructure is about $2.5 million and said the Thrasher estimate appeared to underestimate dredging and related costs. The administration noted some grant programs favor stream-restoration options and suggested pursuing those where possible; the mayor said removal of the dam may be the only financial path that provides finality and safety.
Council members asked administration to request a revised estimate from Thrasher and to seek at least one additional independent quote to explain the discrepancy. Several council members and residents emphasized transparency and an interest in keeping restoration options on the table if additional funding can be identified.
What happens next: Administration agreed to pursue updated estimates from Thrasher, consider a third-party review and evaluate grant-eligible alternatives (stream restoration) to reduce city cost exposure. No final council decision to remove or restore the dam was recorded at the meeting.
