I thought I was the only one but it looks like the former mayor is also dissatisfied with the recent rejection by ADM and city staff on building a new reservoir. Instead, ADM and city staff feels other cheaper alternative will suffice – for now. Purchasing Lake Toko, and lowering intake valves on Lake Decatur, will undoubtedly help in the case of a severe drought but the money spent on such projects will have little benefit for the area. Will buying Lake Toko and lowering intakes on Lake Decatur create new jobs, lure new residents, or spur economic growth in any meaningful way? Probably not. They’re more like band-aid approaches and poor investments towards any real chance at economic growth for the region.
As I’ve believed all along, the funding for the new lake should be tackled as a regional problem and not merely a city of Decatur problem. Yes, the main goal is to increase water supply but we also need to spend our money in way that will improve our quality of life and make Decatur and Macon County a more attractive place to live and grow a business in. Sucking water from the bottom of the lake during a drought isn’t likely to encourage new development, it won’t add to the tax base and it raises concerns of poorer water quality. Has anybody even thought about the effect on the lake’s eco-system if we allowed it to go even lower than what it has been during our worst droughts? It’s a question I’d like answered.
I agree with the former mayor that we should seek different funding and not give up on the project; if ADM doesn’t want to help, that’s their prerogative but we need to be much bolder in moving this region forward with or without them.
