Jamie Munks
The State Journal-Register
Eight of Springfield’s 10 aldermen are sponsoring a measure that would authorize building Hunter Lake, the long-debated backup water supply for the city. Aldermen will consider the proposed ordinance at a July 14 committee of the whole meeting, and it could come up for a full city council vote as soon as July 21.
The divided city council voted 4-5 in March 2014 on a different Hunter Lake ordinance as CWLP continued to conduct studies about its viability compared with alternatives for a backup water supply.
The only two aldermen who aren’t listed as sponsors of the ordinance are Ward 5 Ald. Andrew Proctor and Ward 7 Ald. Joe McMenamin. Proctor said Thursday that he wanted more time to study the ordinance and its ramifications, while McMenamin said he thinks the city has other high-dollar issues that need addressing before pursuing Hunter Lake.
He referenced specifically a presentation at Tuesday night’s committee of the whole meeting about pressing sewer needs in the northeast section of the city, a fix that will cost millions. Financial issues in the utility’s electric division, the city’s police and fire pension debt, and a possible reduction in funding from the state also are more pressing matters, McMenamin said.
“The report we received Tuesday night regarding our sewer problems really dramatized the existence of actual, immediate needs as compared to highly speculative needs related to lake two,” McMenamin said.
Clear message
The proposed ordinance directs the city’s legal and budget staffs to work with CWLP on completing permit applications, preparing a funding proposal and moving forward with additional land acquisition needed to proceed with the lake.
The city has already purchased thousands of acres for the Hunter Lake project, but city officials have said they believe a lack of clear direction from city councils past has sent mixed signals to the agencies from which the city needs approval.
Despite the Hunter Lake proposal being on the table for decades, the city lacks a permit from the Army Corps of Engineers that’s needed to move forward with the project. City leaders have said an ordinance like the one that’s proposed is needed to send a clear message that Springfield officials are backing that plan.
The city has already spent thousands of dollars on land acquisitions, studies and other costs related to Hunter Lake. On top of that, it would cost more than $100 million to finish the project, which is cheaper than the alternatives that have been considered.
***
Joe McMenamin for Ward 7 