Flood Meetings

The Monona ad hoc flood mitigation advisory committee met on short notice this past Tuesday (June 17, 2008). The committee mostly heard from Belle Isle residents regarding the current flooding for about 3 hours. Both long-term solutions and short-term adaptations were discussed. About 60 local residents, mostly from Belle Isle (Belle Isle Neighborhood Website), attended the meeting.

BTW, a great deal of information is now available on the city of Monona main web page.

I co-chair the committee and Jeff Wiswell is Chair. Other members in attendance were Susan Manning, Larry Miller, Daniel Schultz, Jack Fadness, and D. Bruce McConnell. Mayor Robb Kahl and city engineer Rich Vela also attended.

Sheriff Dave Mahoney made an appearance as did county supervisor Robin Schmidt, whose day job involves emergency government, as well as representatives from the American Red Cross. The Sheriff has made Huber inmates available for filling and distributing sandbags. The state DOC has also brought in prisoners to help out.

From the city's web site: The city Public Works Committee is holding a special Public Informational Meeting and Hearing on Wednesday, July 2, at 6:30 pm at the Monona Public Library. Residents who are concerned about flooding in Monona neighborhoods, including Belle Isle, as well as road and sewer conditions are encouraged to attend. PW Flood Hearing.pdf

According to the excellent Monona in the Making: History of the City of Pride, 1938-1975 by Dorothy Browne Haines (see also Dorothy Haines' 1999 History, Monona in the Making from the Historic Blooming Grove home page), the Belle Isle lagoons were originally dredged in 1916 and redredged in the 1930's. "By 1950, the Belle Isle lagoons were in need again. The problem was treated as a municipal project....The lagoon silt was sucked up the dredge of the Gunyon Dredging Company of Elkhorn, Wisconsin, at a cost of 36 cents per cubic yard....A special assessment of $50.65 was leveled against the 96 lots in Belle Isle that benefited by the dredging." (page 45). To my knowledge, the lagoons have not been dredged since then.

BTW, the Oneida Park restrooms were built in 1968 at a costs of $2353. (These are almost new by comparison to the Schluter Beach restroom building that dates from 1954.).