Friends of Silver Lake group rallies ahead of Rochester city council meeting

(ABC 6 News) – On Monday, a group known as “Friends of Silver Lake”, rallied at the Olmsted County government center, protesting the Rochester city council’s proposal to remove the dam at Silver Lake.

The proposal was sent to state leaders last May. According to a press release from Friends of Silver Lake, current city council members never discussed or voted on the issue.

The release goes on to say that most city council members weren’t aware of the proposal until last month.

The rally saw a huge turnout, with protesters bringing signs sporting the phrase “save the dam.”

Among concerns for the dam, one that many shared was that if the dam is removed, it may worsen flooding conditions. This would pose a problem for the many citizens who live by the lake.

Another concern was is that the proposal to remove the dam is in violation of Silver Lake Park’s historic landmark status.

Greg Munson, who organized the event, said he was more concerned about how little citizens were being involved with the process.

He states, “the biggest concern to me personally is the fact that the citizens have not been involved in the process; the city council never talked about this dam issue, never voted on it, didn’t even know the proposal was going forward.”

The event happened at 5 p.m., just before the city council meeting at 6 p.m.

After the event, protesters flooded the meeting to let their voices be heard during the meeting’s public comment period.