Chairmans Message
Now that February is past, the thought of spring coming is encouraging. I always thought that spring arrives when the ice disappears off the river. Unfortunately the ice doesn’t leave the bay where I live until around the first week of April. Speaking of ice, I know that long-time residents of the waterways are fully aware of the dangers that can develop when the temperatures start getting warmer, but just a reminder to some of the newer residents of the waterway that the ice may look solid, but be wary, especially when running snowmobiles or ATV’s on the river. Remember that on a river, the water is always flowing below the ice, and running water will shave the ice from the bottom up, reducing the thickness of the ice. So please use common sense as the weather gets warmer.
Police Chief Tom Ditscheit reminded me to inform people that for safety reasons any attempt to rescue someone without having the proper training or equipment is a dangerous act. A person should always call for help and stay away from any hole in the ice because you never know how much of the ice will break and you might end up in the water. Our thanks to Mike, Gregory & Rich, The Waterford Police Dept., and the Tichigan Fire Dept. for their action.
I would like to acknowledge three gentlemen who live on Tichigan Lake, namely Mike Massman, Gregory Plantz and Rich Kass. On January 4, these three men came to the rescue of two men who fell thru the ice while riding an ATV. Had it not been for their quick action in helping to rescue them, the two men may not have been able to survive the icy waters. It should be noted that these rescuers were prepared by having the right equipment at their disposal, i.e.: a sled,ropes, flotation devices, etc. | Project wise, with financial assistance from the FRC (Fox River Commission), we were able to complete a project at Island View Bay, which is off of Wood Drive. The project consisted of installing two check dams in the right of way, which slows down the flow of runoff from the fields to the east of the site. With heavy rain or melting, the water was bringing down a good amount of soil runoff. After the two check dams, the surface waters run into a ravine going down to the river which was causing heavy erosion. At that area a matting was laid down along with riprap which will cause the dirt particles to settle out before it gets to the river. Also, at two areas of the right of way, seeding was done with natural plants to help filter the runoff before it gets to the riprap. We also had two check dams installed on Kramer Drive to help clear the runoff before it gets into the wetlands. This project would not have been possible without the cooperation of the abutting property owners and the Waterford Town Board. Thanks for your support; see you at the next meeting.
Regards,
Dick Kosut
WWMD Chairman |