Goldfield residents and guests dedicate the Boone River Park upgrades at Saturday ceremonies

About 50 Goldfield residents and guests gathered at Boone River Park to dedicate the park upgrades, in particular the removal of the aging river dam and the recently installed rock rapids. The rapids allows the river to reconnect nearly twenty miles of navigable river. The ceremonies were heldon Saturday afternoon, May 28.

The old dam, which was constructed in the 1930s, needed to be upgraded and repair of the existing structure was not an option. Former Mayor Joe Skinner, who presided over the dedication, and Orville Steffenson began discussing the project in 2012. The twosome found the project to be larger than their expertise. Greg Soenen then joined the work of finding answers to the river problem. All three are Goldfield residents.

Working with the Department of Natural Resources and the Army Corps of engineers, it was estimated that the rapids project would cost $70,000. The rapids, which is about 50 feet in length, was financed and embraced by grants from the DNR, the Wright County Charitable Foundation, the Goldfield City Council, the Wright County Board of Supervisors, a number of other government agencies and current and past Goldfield residents. Because of donations of a number of large rocks by area farmers, among other in-kind gifts, the reconstruction came in under budget – $64,000.

 

For the full story, see the June 2 edition of the Monitor.

Wright County Monitor

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Clarion, IA 50525
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