Spirits high as Lake Delhi residents celebrate rebuilt dam, lake

LAKE DELHI - Residents of this once-and-again lakeside community, all too familiar with untoward weather, scrambled for shelter Saturday afternoon when a storm interrupted their celebration of the return of their beloved lake.

'We've never caught a break with the weather,” said Todd Gifford, a member of Lake's Delhi's governing body and a leader of the lengthy effort to rebuild the dam that failed six years ago Sunday.

'We get rain when we don't want it and can't get it when we need it to refill the lake,” Gifford said.

Saturday's windblown rain interrupted the festivities but could not dampen the spirits of hundreds of residents, many of whom wore bright T-shirts with 'Dam Right We're Back” printed on them.

By Saturday evening, the skies had cleared and hundreds gathered at the dam to enjoy fireworks over the slowly filling lake and marvel at the feats of nine-time world champion juggler Ivan Pecel, whose comedic repartee matched his skill at keeping bowling balls, razor-sharp hatchets and flaming torches in the air.

On Sunday, rather than congratulate each other on reaching their milestone, they thanked each other for their unity, effort and perseverance in overcoming the numerous obstacles between them and the return of a lake they say is not just theirs but everyone's.

The dam's failure 'stopped an old heartbeat but started a new one” and led to the redefinition of the community, said Steve Leonard, president of the board of trustees of the Combined Lake Delhi Recreational Facility and Water Quality District.

Following a lunch atop the dam at noon Sunday, Leonard and Gifford thanked numerous volunteers, government officials and hired contractors who worked together to bring back the lake.

'We saw you were helping yourselves,” which paved the way for more than $5 million in state support, said State Sen. Dan Zumbach, R-Ryan, one of several legislators thanked for their support.

Helping themselves consisted in part of raising $1.7 million in private donations and voting themselves a $6 million property tax increase to help pay for the rebuilding effort.

That, a change in leadership and efforts to increase the transparency of the lake district's operations were instrumental in earning the trust needed to secure $3 million from the county and $5 million from the state, Delaware County Supervisor Shirley Helmrichs said.

Leonard and Gifford credited Delaware County Auditor Carla Becker, who took over the lake district's accounting following the expansion of the board of trustees, with enhancing the transparency of its operations.

Leonard said the district's credibility was further enhanced by the volunteer services of retired dam engineer and Lake Delhi resident Pat Colgan, who helped design the dam and oversee its construction while communicating effectively with government officials, contractors and the public.

Unlike some Lake Delhi residents and many interested observers, Colgan said, 'I never doubted for a minute that we would get this done.”

A month after the dam's floodgates were closed, pontoon boats and personal watercraft were plying the deepest parts of the lake near the dam on Sunday.

It took only a few hours for the lake to empty on July 24, 2010, after the dam breached following heavy rains in the Maquoketa River watershed. In response to Saturday's rain, the lake rose 8.5 inches overnight, Colgan said.

Having the lake back 'is a big deal for families,” said Bill Decker, a Lake Delhi resident since 1988. 'For years my relatives came to my house for every summer holiday, but they have not come in the last six years.”

With the view from Decker's home changing from weeds and mud flats to placid lake water, Decker said the relatives will be coming for Labor Day.

Having the lake back 'means the world to me,” said Earlville farmer Marty Pottebaum, who said he bought his weekend retreat in 2007 'not for the house but for the water.”