The Town Hall Park Lake Had Been a Private Pay Lake for Many Years.   The Old Spillway Began to Deteriorate. Holes Such as These Had to Be Patched Quickly.   Trees Grew On and Around the Old Spillway and Dam,  and Erosion On the Slopes Was Very Evident. The Trees Had To Be Removed To Build the New Dam, But Other Trees Will Be Planted In the Park to Replace Them.   In Order to Drain the Lake and Fix the Dam, the Old Spillway Had to Be Busted Open To Allow The Water to Flow Downstream.    Old Barrels Had Been Put Into the Lake by Previous Owners to Provide Fish Nesting Areas. These Became More Visible When the Water Level Began to Fall.   Because the Lake Had Filled with Sediment Over the Years, It Was Only About Eight Feet Deep.   Dam Project Ground Breaking Ceremony, June 10, 2004. Avon Town Council Members From Left to Right: Kathryn Miller, Eva Yackey, Dave Jackson, Dave Cox, and Mike Rogers.

Removing Soil and Debris From Spillway Area

Removing Sediment from Lake Area

Soil From The Lake and Spillway Is Moved to a "Borrow Pit", Where It Is Stored Until It's Used to Build The New Dam

Lowering the Old Dam

Water From The Foundation Area of the New Dam Is Pumped Through a "Silt Bag" To Trap Silt Particles Before The Water Flows Downstream

A Tractor Begins To Remove The Weeds From The Dry Lake Bed

The First of Many Concrete Pours for the New Dam Foundation

Heavy Machinery For The Project

One of Many Layers of Concrete   On right: Construction Manager Bob Berry with Edwards-Rigdon Construction Co. On left: Fred Harvey with Harvey Construction.   Oles Engineering is Slowly Digging Out the Lake Bottom.   The New Spillway Structure is Delivered in Sections and Put into Place With Cranes.   Inside the Spillway Structure.   Avon Town Hall.   A Beautiful Day for Digging.   The Dam Construction Draws Some Curious Spectators- From Left to Right: Mike Tulli, Building Commissioner; Rob Paris, APD Assistant Chief; and Ryan Cannon, Public Works Manager.  Work continues on the Spillway Structure.   Loaders Continue to Remove Sediment From the Lake Bottom. Sediment is Separated By Soil Characteristics Into Huge Piles Near the Borrow Pit.  Even Though There Was Little Rain in August and September, Groundwater Seeped Into the Lakebed and Created a Muddy Mess for the Machinery Operators!  Cranes Set the Last Sections of the Spillway.  The Banks of the Lake Were Cleaned Up and Graded. Wetland Plants Wll Be Planted to Reduce Erosion Control and to Add Beauty and Provide Habitat for Wildlife. A Retaining Wall Is Also Being Built, and a Paved Trail Will Circle the Lake.  A New, Improved Pipe Has Been Installed Where Lingeman Drain Feeds the Lake.  Riprap Is Being Installed Along The Banks of The Lake.  Some Trees Were Removed Off of the Hillside in Order to Grade the Slope For the New Trail. New Trees Will Be Planted After the Trail Is Built.  While Dredging the Lake, the Contractors Found Hidden Surprises in the Sediment.  The Trees Show Their Autumn Colors on a Dreary October Afternoon.  Rain Stops the Project For the Day.  After a Long Winter, Harvey Construction Begins Work Again.    Rip Rap At The New Inlet Structure From Lingeman Drain Is Ready.  The Lake Is Almost Ready For Water.   The Back of the Dam Spillway.  Construction Manager Bob Berry (left) and Public Works Manager Ryan Cannon.  Oles Engineering Placed Grass Seed and Erosion Blankets On the Slopes of the Lake.         FINALLY, THE LAKE, DAM, AND TRAIL ARE COMPLETE.