Hurricane Matthew breached town’s historic dam. Now, a flood of emotions over its future.
But the feelings over whether to rebuild the dam run much deeper.
Zebulon asked the
Some local residents say the town is missing a golden opportunity to preserve a rare bit of rural heritage while adding something new. They argue that federal money should be used to repair the dam, and they say the town should raise additional funds through grants and donations to develop the park.
The argument, which has run on more or less since the dam was breached in
"At first it broke my heart to see that dam after the hurricane," said
The masonry structure, one of tens of thousands built around the country in the 1800s, went up in 1871. It first powered a grist mill, was later used by an ice plant and eventually converted to produce electricity and impound water for Zebulon's residents to drink.
Zebulon now gets its water from
More recently, the masonry structure had long been showing its age; Hurricane Fran blew out a section in 1996 and Hurricane Floyd took out chunks three years later. Both times,
'Just immoral'
So after Hurricane Matthew, Middleswarth said, he too wanted the
But as time went on, he said, and he read about how many families in
"With all those people needing housing, rebuilding that dam with public funds is just immoral," Middleswarth said.
"
The town also would have to pay to maintain, inspect and insure the dam, at a time when its 5,000 or so residents also need road-widening projects, a new fire station and firefighting equipment.
If the dam did fail again, it could damage the
In deciding what to do, the town held a series of public meetings and conducted surveys of local residents at places where they gather. It queried
The town says the surveys indicated that more people wanted to leave the dam breached than wanted it repaired.
Moore recommended -- and a majority of the town board voted -- to ask for money from a relatively new
To apply for the funds, Zebulon commissioned engineering studies and cost estimates as if it were going to repair the dam, and asked
If approved,
With that money, Moore said, the town could develop a master plan for the 22-acre
'It's a Dam Shame'
"Not a tree hugger," he said, "but I'm all about public facilities."
He's also about history and heritage, he said, and much of what Zebulon had, it let get away: the circa-1940s
"The dam is the nucleus," Timberlake said, "the focal point of what would be the park they want to build. If the dam is not saved, the nucleus is gone."
Timberlake is confident that if the town board were to reverse its vote and elect to use
Whatever happens,
"I worked so hard to make that place a nice park where people could come with their families and be together," he said. "And now, it's just tearing the town apart."
___
(c)2018 The News & Observer (Raleigh, N.C.)
Visit The News & Observer (Raleigh, N.C.) at www.newsobserver.com
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
The Latest: Trump ‘monitoring’ the stolen plane situation
Advisor News
Annuity News
Health/Employee Benefits News
Life Insurance News