BURLINGTON, Wis. — We are less than two weeks away from election day, and voters in Burlington are set to decide the fate of Echo Lake.
Back in 2015, the dam failed an inspection by the state. The city was ordered to fix the problems by 2025.
There are two options now on the table and on the ballot.
Residents can either remove the dam and drain the lake, or repair the dam and keep the lake.
Repairing the dam would cost about $8.1 million. Removing it would cost $7.7 million.
People who live here remain conflicted about what's best for Burlington.
11 years ago, Matthew Snorek was looking for a new place to call home. He chose Burlington for many reasons, but one thing specifically.
"My top reasons why I moved here was Echo Lake and the dam," Snorek said. "My fondest memories were here laying on a blanket holding my son up."
Snorek has since created the 'Save Echo Lake & Dam' Facebook group to start the conversation. It now has about 1,700 members.
'White River Renewal WRR' is a Facebook group advocating for the removal of the dam. It has 360 members.
Bill Meinel has lived in Burlington since 1967. He said so much has changed since 1835 when Echo Lake was created.
"They used to have boat races on the lake," Meinel said. "With Echo Lake it doesn't serve a purpose right now. It's shallow."
No matter where you go in Burlington, you will find people on both sides who want what's best for the city.
"I'm going to keep fighting for this lake," Snorek said. "We'll take a chance and see what it's going to be," Meinel said.
The one thing they can agree on is that the Echo Lake Dam means something special to this community.
The votes will not change anything, but will help Common Council members know how the majority of residents feel about Echo Lake.