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Letter to the Editor

I am supporting North Carolina House Bill #925 (HB925) and am asking other Polk County citizens to join me by signing a letter of support to North Carolina State Representative Jake Johnson.
HB925 has been introduced by Representative Jake Johnson on behalf of the citizens of Polk County. With your support, his intention is to include this bill as part of the next submission of the 2021-2022 State Budget to both the Legislature and the Governor.
He is requesting State appropriations to fully fund the repairs for the Turner Shoals Dam on Lake Adger in Polk County. Representative Johnson was a former Polk County Commissioner and understands this important issue. Once you sign the letter of support, it will be sent to Representative Johnson with all signatures.
Why should you sign?
HB925:
1. Provides support to Representative Johnson to convince the Legislature and the Governor that this is an important Bill to Polk County citizens;
2. State appropriated funds would alleviate Polk County taxpayers from shouldering the full cost of repairs by themselves;
3. Several independent engineering firms have completed in-depth Dam Stability Analysis Studies at Polk County taxpayer expense. These studies were required by the North Carolina Environment and Natural Resources Department. Findings revealed holes, seepage, concrete deterioration, and other structural weaknesses which must be repaired to prevent a possible failure of this structure;
4. A structural failure will most likely result in loss of life and property downstream as the dam is rated by the State as a High-hazard dam;
5. The estimated cost of repairs has risen from $1M to $6M in seven years. Polk County simply cannot allocate enough funds in a timely manner without causing a significant burden to its tax payers.
Please support this effort by signing the letter of support at http://www.change.org/HB925-Dam-Repair-Funding .

Irene LeCourt

Mill Spring