HOLLY, Mich. – The Holly dam and mill pond are in need of repair, and the suggestions from the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) regulators have upset residents.
“Without this dam, the town of Holly wouldn’t be here; the removal of that is going to disrupt the way of life for hundreds of people,” said Andy Kakos, a property owner who helped start a petition that’s secured over 900 signatures.
A meeting to discuss the fate of the dam and the associated pond was held Tuesday, May 27.
According to EGLE, recent inspections reveal that the nearby embankments do not meet the minimum stability requirements, which creates an elevated risk of the dam’s failure during a high-water event.
The issues date back to 2002, but EGLE states that permitted work scheduled for 2003 was never completed.
In 2021, the Village of Holly made unauthorized modifications that exacerbated the problem.
EGLE instructed the Village to draw the water down by this spring, but the Village, they say, instead requested tonight’s meeting.
Despite the reasoning behind the recommendation, residents are still upset.
Adam Schmieder and many others believe the wetlands are an asset, not just for people who fish or enjoy time on the water, but for the many animals that call the pond home.
“I just want them to know that nobody around here wants this gone; it’s been here 180 years, why now? We haven’t had a failure; we haven’t had any issues.”
Those who have signed the petition hope that Oakland County can come in and help the Village make the costly repairs.
Oakland County Commissioner thinks eliminating the pond would be short-sighted, “The historic village of Holly owns this asset, and if it needs to be fixed or improved, that should be our goal, but not to destroy a valuable asset.”
