Remove the Swift Falls dam? Swift Falls Park upgrade could take years to fund and be done in stages
If the Swift Falls dam was removed, it would be replaced with a stepped down rock rapids that would preserve the pool behind the top level.
By Reed Anfinson
A comprehensive master plan for a significant upgrade to the Swift Falls Park was presented to the Swift County Board of Commissioners at its Feb. 18 meeting.
If all the work outlined in the plan was possible, it would cost $1,953,960. However, in presenting the plan, Parks, Drainage & Wetlands Supervisor Kody Fossum told commissioners that a scaled-down project with parts of it undertaken is more likely.
There is another part of the project, not included in the nearly $2 million plan Fossum presented, that could generate considerable discussion – the removal of the Swift Falls Dam.
“The biggest thing the community has been discussing is the dam structure,” Fossum told commissioners. “It holds back a lot of stuff. They want to see the basin reopened.”
A Swift Falls Park committee of local residents and county staff has been developing the plan for the park renovation and looking at the dam removal.
For more on this story, support community journalism and subscribe to the Swift County Monitor-News.
