Milwaukee County Executive Urging Residents to Sign Petition to Remove Estabrook Dam

Milwaukee County Executive is asking residents to sign a petition to remove the Estabrook Dam.

According to Abele’s tweet, removal of the dam would save money and is better for the environment.

Abele’s petition calls the dam an eyesore and public nuisance.

The petition goes on to say it costs $4.1 million to repair the dam. That allegedly is $600,000 more than the county has available in the budget for the project.

The petition urges Chairman Lipscomb to allow the board of supervisors to vote on removal.

Here is the full petition:

“The Estabrook Dam is non-functioning, an eyesore, expensive to maintain, and damaging to the health of the river. Milwaukee County is legally obligated to do something about this declared public nuisance - we can repair the Dam or we can remove it. Milwaukee County Board Chairman Theo Lipscomb supports repairing the Dam, even though repair costs more than twice as much as removal and is a less environmentally-friendly option.

Right now it will cost at least $4.1 million to repair the Dam, which is $600,000 more than the County has available in the budget for this project. That number doesn’t include ongoing maintenance costs for operation of the Dam. In contrast, removal would be a one-time cost of $1.7 million.

Chairman Lipscomb doesn’t have to personally support removal of the Dam. But thousands of people in Milwaukee County support removal and their voices deserve to be heard. We are urging the chairman to allow the duly elected Board of Supervisors to at least take a vote on removing the Dam. Add your name to this petition today if you support removal of the Estabrook Dam."