January 2024 Update-State Grant Received!
We are thrilled to announce that we’ve received $5,000,000 from the State of North Carolina which is specifically earmarked to “Dredge and Restore Mirror Lake for the Town of Highlands". This surge of funding and attention to the project will hopefully propel the work forward.
The $5M check was ceremoniously handed over to Mayor Pat Taylor last week.
While we 100% get these funds for dredging, the $5M will remain in Raleigh, NC. The money will be reimbursed to the Town of Highlands as the dredging invoices and related expenses come in. In other words, neither the Mirror Lake Improvement Association (M.L.I.A.) or the Town of Highlands holds the funds. This process is the protocol set forth by the State of NC for all such grants.
The Town of Highlands becomes the defacto “entity” for phases 2, 3, and 4 of our approved dredging plan. To comply with NC guidelines, the Town Leadership will send out RFQ’s (request for quotation) to quaiifying dredging companies, engineering firms, and a project oversight director. These bids will be reviewed by Lamar Nix (TOH Public Works Director), Josh Ward (TOH Manager), The Mayor, and our Board. The successful bidders will issue the necessary Contracts and Permits directly to the Town of Highlands, and phases 2, 3, & 4 can begin. To be clear, the Town of Highlands will be working in concert with the M.L.I.A to direct where, when, and how to dredge per our confirmed Dredging Plan. Let’s talk about PHASE 1.
Phase 1 (approximately 250 yards upstream & downstream from the Mirror Lake Bridge) is the initial dredge that will be paid for by the M.L.I.A. This phase will begin in 2024 as soon as possible upon receipt of our Dredging Permit. RiverSand, Inc. will conduct the dredging of Phase 1, and is working with the ACOE (Army Corp of Engineers), NC DEQ (Department of Environmental Quality), and NC Fish & Wildlife (because Mirror Lake is a designated trout stream) to secure our Phase 1 permit. We received an update from RiverSand last Wednesday, and they are in final approval stages with the DEQ, who’ve requested new sediment samples which we’ve already obtained. We are expecting our permit from ACOE in early February. RiverSand, Inc. can then inform us of an exact start date for Phase 1.
People always ask us “how long will it take to dredge Mirror Lake?” We are hopeful that Phase 1 (Mirror Lake Bridge, the Mirror Lake Yacht Club, and “Paul Wilgus Park") will begin before Spring and hopefully completed in 2024. The NC Grant of $5M can then be dedicated to Phase 2 (both sides of Mill Creek going wide & deep); Phase 3 (upstream to islands and channel along Hick’s Rd, & downstream to “Caffery’s Corner” & Hemlock House) along with the installation of sediment retention areas for future maintenance, and Phase 4 (whatever money is left to continue Phase 3); will take us into 2025, 2026, & 2027.