Fulton Residents Speak Out Against Vote To Decommission Sharp’s Pond Dam

by Kassadee Bradshaw | July 8, 2020 6:37 am

FULTON – At the Common Council meeting last night, July 7, City of Fulton residents voiced their opinions on last month’s vote[1] to decommission the dam at Sharp’s Pond.

Dave Halstead, a lifetime Fultonian, spoke during public comment on his disappointment in the decision to decommission the dam and allow the pond to revert to its original form – a creek. 

Halstead said he is concerned because he believes there are too few free activities for Fulton’s youth to do in the city. 

“When I grew up here, there were lots of activities for us kids. We had plenty of things to do, plenty of places to go,” Halstead said. “Right now, there is very little for any of our youth to do.”

Halstead said he recently went down to the pond to see what was going on with it and was disappointed with what he saw.

“It made me sick,” Halstead said. “I live one block from there. Do I patronize it often? No. But the thing of it is, I went down just to see what it was. Excuse my French, but it’s a crap hole. It really is. They pulled the boards out. You got fish in there, probably five, six pounds that are barely living down there, fish flopping in the mud, animals flopping in the mud because they can’t get out of it. For something stupid.”

Halstead said he has spoken to some people who are interested in forming a committee to be formed aimed at bringing the pond back to what it once was as a free recreational area for the city’s youth at no cost to the city. He also said he knows of a professional organization who agree to replace the dam for $250,000. 

Another resident, Dick Kramer, agreed with Halstead and said that the council should have spoken to those in their ward so their votes could reflect on their voices. 

“I have talked to many people in this city that didn’t even know a darn thing about Sharp’s Pond,” Kramer said. “You councilors, you should represent this city and talk to your people in your ward to see what their opinion is… I get it’s already been decided what’s gonna be done, and this is not new to this city… I think this city would do well with Sharp’s Pond back the way it was many years ago.”

A few others also shared their thoughts on the decommission of the pond, agreeing with Halstead and Kramer. 

When asked why the three councilors and mayor had voted to decommission the dam, Mayor Deana Michaels explained that a decision had been made in 2019 and there were bonding obligations to be upheld. 

City Clerk/Chamberlain Dan O’Brien recapped some of the events leading to last month’s vote, saying that in 2017, the Department of Environmental Conservation determined the dam needed numerous repairs to adhere to current safety regulations. O’Brien said the council then felt the price to repair the dam and continue yearly inspections would not be feasible for the city. 

“The council had numerous meetings on it where they publicly said that they were in favor of the removal of the dam and the return of the natural water source,” O’Brien said. “We borrowed money for that specific purpose. So we are obligated by that resolution that we borrowed money for the demolition of city property. That’s it. Not the rebuilding of the dam.”

Michaels said she would like to meet with Halstead to further explore his ideas to work toward bringing Sharp’s Pond back.

Previous coverage of Sharp’s Pond (chronological order):

1. https://oswegocountytoday.com/state-forces-the-end-of-sharps-pond/news/fulton/[2]
2. https://oswegocountytoday.com/fulton-council-hits-the-brakes-on-sharps-pond/news/fulton/[3]
3. https://oswegocountytoday.com/fulton-dpw-commissioner-presents-sharps-pond-project-timeline/news/fulton/[4]
4. https://oswegocountytoday.com/fulton-community-members-speak-on-sharps-pond-at-common-council-meeting/news/fulton/[5]
5. https://oswegocountytoday.com/dpw-commissioner-clears-air-on-sharps-pond/news/fulton/[6]
6. https://oswegocountytoday.com/fulton-common-council-votes-to-decommission-sharps-pond-dam/news/fulton/

Following public comment, the council unanimously approved all items on the agenda.

1. Amend local law section 514-32 N Maximum allowable pollutant. The law’s wording was changed due to a mix-up in numbers. More information on the law can be found here[7]. There was a public hearing on this at the time of the meeting but no one spoke.
2. The City Clerk’s report for March in the amount of $4,979; April in the amount of $2,271.50; and May in the amount of $5,591 were approved and placed on file. 
3. Approval of the minutes for the June 2, 2020 meeting. 
4. Establish standard work days for elected and appointed officials.
5. Notation – Mayor Michaels appointed James Nicholson as part-time City Court Judge to fill the unexpired term of Jerome Miratibo from March 23 to December 31, 2023.
6. Mayor Michaels was authorized to sign all documents with Municipay for credit card processing. 
7. Mayor Michaels was authorized to sign the ambulance service agreement with Oswego County Ambulance and Hearse Service, Inc. 
8. Reject all bids on the Wastewater Primary Clarifier project.
9. The council approved Upstate Construction Services Inc.’s bid for the multi-use trail system project in the amount of $911,939.
10. The council approved to move the gazebo at the northernmost portion of Indian Point to Vorhees Park at no cost to the city.
11. The City Clerk/Chamberlain was authorized to advertise for bids for stump removal. Sealed bids may be sent to his office on or before July 31 at 2 p.m.
12. The City Clerk/Chamberlain was authorized to advertise for bids for tree maintenance. Sealed bids may be sent to his office on or before July 31 at 2 p.m.
13. A vendor permit was granted to Ken Spaulding representing Tricky Dick’s Roadside Grill to sell food and beverages at Indian Point from July 8 until October 31, 2020.

The next Common Council meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, August 4 at 7 p.m. Last night’s meeting was held in the Community Room at City Hall although it is normally held in the courtroom on the second floor. 

Documents regarding last night’s agenda and the minutes for June’s meeting can be found here[8].

Source URL: https://oswegocountytoday.com/news/fulton/fulton-residents-speak-out-against-vote-to-decommission-sharps-pond-dam/

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