HUBBARD — Talks regarding the removal of a dam and sediment picked up in recent months and action is getting closer, according to the city’s mayor.

During caucus before Monday’s city council meeting, Mayor Ben Kyle said the Eastgate Regional Council of Governments was able to acquire all the funding necessary for removing the Valley Mould Dam.

Township Trustee Jason Tedrow previously reported that Eastgate representatives reached out to him in March about the dam, which sits behind the township building.

A request for qualifications, days later, stated that the project would include removing a designated amount of fine-grained sediment from behind the dam and disposing of that sediment and filtrate, as well as the “cost-effective” removal of the dam in a manner that would improve Little Yankee Run’s water quality and aquatic habitat.

A request for proposals focusing on the predesign and sediment analysis necessary to remove the dam was initiated on April 21.

A qualified engineering or environmental consulting firm to spearhead the phase was expected to be selected by May 12, but no updates have been provided since then.

Stephanie Dyer, Eastgate’s Environmental Program Manager, could not be reached for comment Wednesday afternoon.

“They have all those funds for this project that is in the city; we had an initial meeting to kind of carve out what the lay of the land is going to be, how things are going to work,” Kyle said. “This will be a multi-year project where MS (Consultants) will be involved; there’s some other companies that will be involved.”

Kyle said officials will have to do a request for qualifications.

“It’ll be no cost to the city to be able to do it, so it’s going to be a great thing that was started many years ago, and we’ll be able to get it finished,” Kyle said.

PUBLIC RECORDS REQUESTS

As part of his remarks, Law Director Mark Villano noted the city has received “numerous” public records requests regarding the data center, which officials later passed a 12-month halt on the construction, placement or operation of a data center within the city, and declared an emergency.

Villano said Debbie Madeline in the mayor’s office is handling the requests.

“This comment is directed to all council members and city officials; you will have to bring paper copies to Mrs. Madeline in her office regarding any communications regarding the data center that you receive,” Villano said. “Saying that you can’t get them out of your computer, or you can’t print them out, or you don’t know where they’re at, is not acceptable; let’s get the information together so we can fill the requests.”