After the horrible drowning in the Dan River last month by people tubing over a bridge that made national news, once again the campaign to destroy this simple dam in front of the YMCA has reared its head. But here is a fun fact. This dam has been sitting here for over one hundred years and since this sign was put up not a single person has drowned or gotten hurt on this spot. Not one!
Despite, what a few trying to use fear are saying there is absolutely no need to hire someone to be a safety lookout on this spot or to tear down this dam, spending crazy money to do it, to prevent a drowning. This simple sign does that all by itself, and it costs nothing, while preserving a nice view.
Yep, Vice-Mayor Gary Miller told WSET that he believes a 24/7 guard must either be placed at the dam to act as a lookout or the dam must be destroyed. Well, the third option is to just let things be and let the sign do its job. Keep the sign and keep the dam. Now, yesterday Miller went even further saying that he wants to see yet another dam taken down if he succeeds in getting this first one destroyed.
Miller told WDB7 that he now wants the White Mill dam a little further up the river gone too. Of course, this all would costs hundreds of thousands of dollars, if not well over a million, and represent money that could be spent elsewhere. Not to mention it would ruin the view on the river trail and wreck the environment being used by geese and other animals to live and nest in, but it does whip some into a frenzy when words like “drowning” and “killing machines” are used.
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-Mike
