The city's Mill Street Dam is capable of providing a placid, picturesque, setting behind its gates when its gates are closed. When the gates are closed and the required mandatory release of water is emitted from the upper State Dam the water comes down and flows gracefully over the top of the Mill Street Dam, forming a beautiful waterfall across most of its face. It also provides an idyllic scene for the many residents who live along that section of the river's banks above the dam itself.

Lately, however, one of the dam's gates is being left in an open position, causing the water level behind the dam to be much lower. This leaves the adjacent shoreline a bare, muddy, eyesore to the residents who just so happen to live near that portion of the river.

If the Mill Street Dam's water level is being kept low for some sort of maintenance purpose let's hope the work will be done very soon so the water behind the dam can be restored to its normal picturesque height.

If the water is low just because some city department head doesn't feel it necessary to have it flow over the top of the dam, I would urge the city to please reconsider that decision or policy for the sake of everyone, especially the nearby residents.

Historically, Auburn and its residents have benefited immensely from the power and beauty provided by the Owasco River. If the Mill Street Dam can't be operated for its intended purpose of generating cheap hydro power let's at least use it for the priceless aesthetic value it can provide to the community which no doubt values the looks and recreational opportunities of an abundant, clean, placid, beautiful body of water cascading over a sturdy, pedestrian accessible, dam.

David Schlegel

Auburn