LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- New Albany Mayor Jeff Gahan has closed access to the Silver Creek dam at Origin Park for emergency maintenance.
This is the area where 14-year-old Andre "AJ" Edwards Jr. fell from the dam into the creek on Memorial Day and drowned.
The city has built a temporary gravel trail down to the edge of the creek and there is some heavy equipment parked back in the woods.
The emergency maintenance is being done according to the mayor's office to make the dam safer.
"For years, we have been improving water safety in the City of New Albany through our improvements to the New Albany Shoreline and other waterways, and this maintenance at the historic Glenmill Park Dam is another example of our commitment to safe recreation," Gahan said in a news release Friday.
The mayor quotes a legal filing that says "drowning machine at Providence Mill Dam, another named used for the Silver Creek dam, will continue to risk public safety" if it remains as is.
Josh Turner a former New Albany Council member told WDRB in May AJ's death could have been avoided.
"We're inviting danger," Turner said on May 28. "We're saying, 'Come down here to this low head dam, drop your kayak,' and it's promoting young people to come down here and get into a situation, unfortunately."
Turner said the Indiana Department of Natural Resources is behind removing the dam.
The Indiana Department of Natural Resources said Friday it's aware of work near Silver Creek and the department is working to obtain additional information as no emergency permit has been issued.
The New Albany City Council originally passed a resolution to have the dam removed. Efforts to remove the dam go back to at least 2020 when the River Heritage Conservancy applied for a permit to have the dam removed.
The permit was granted but the city challenged the ruling. The legal back and forth has been frustrating to those wanting to access the creek.
The city said work is delayed by the high water and the site is closed until the work is finished.
Related Stories:
- New Albany mayor proposes safety improvements at Silver Creek dam where teen drowned on Memorial Day
- Family of 14-year-old who drowned in Silver Creek joins renewed calls for removal of dam
- 14-year-old boy's Memorial Day death reignites controversy over future of Silver Creek dam
- 14-year-old boy found dead after swimming in Silver Creek, New Albany police say
- City of New Albany files lawsuit to stop removal of dam on Silver Creek
- New Albany to object to dam removal for southern Indiana parks project
- After burying son who drowned in Silver Creek, family wants action from New Albany leaders over dam
Copyright 2024 WDRB Media. All Rights Reserved.
