Rep. Cook to host town hall on Marianna dam
A state lawmaker is hosting a town hall next week to discuss a vision for the future of the Marianna dam, which is on target to be demolished next year.
Rep. Bud Cook said he invited county and other state officials to attend the Thursday meeting at Bethlehem-Center High School for a forum and panel discussion to address “constituents’ concerns” about the dam.
“Come on out and learn about what’s going on at the local level and throughout our state, share ideas, ask questions and leave with answers,” Cook-R-Daisytown, stated in a Friday news release.
His news release did not indicate what the vision is for the dam or why the meeting is needed when a majority of Marianna Council is supporting the removal of the deteriorating borough-owned dam along Ten Mile Creek.
“The borough has not changed its stance,” Marianna Council President Wes Silva said regarding the removal of the low-head dam.
The borough in December signed an agreement with a charitable organization, American Rivers, for the removal of the dam, which they said interferes with the spawning of fish. The group agreed to remove the concrete dam at no cost to taxpayers and help the borough create a park along the creek with improved access to the water.
“Nothing has changed at all,” Silva said. “He (Cook) wants to save the dam and utilize it for recreation, which is a key part of his recreation initiative.”
Cook has invited the state Department of Environmental Protection, Fish and Boat Commission and Department of Transportation to the meeting, as well as county commissioners.
The meeting will begin at 6 p.m. in the high school auditorium.