LETTER TO THE EDITOR - Times News - 4/3/01
Fence is for public safety

It is our hope to help clear the air about the recent concerns many local residents have about the new fence installed by the Bureau of Reclamation at Minidoka Dam near Lake Walcott.

We have heard from many long-time residents in the area expressing concern that Reclamation has intentionally blocked access to a spot where many folks enjoy fishing.

We can assure you that this was not a quick decision. The primary reasons for putting the new fence in place were concern for public safety and security to the facility itself.

We will admit that we could have done a better job of giving the public more advance notice and, for that, we apologize. But there is no way we could keep the area open with the full knowledge that a clear danger to public safety existed.

We realize that this change is hard for many to accept in light of the fact that many have fished in that location for generations, but should someone fall into the river, there would be little opportunity for rescue.

The other issue we face is keeping the federal facility safe. Following the bombing of the federal building in Oklahoma City, a directive was issued requiring each federal facility to do whatever was necessary to ensure security while also being reasonable about public access. Unfortunately, this requires us to balance the interests of the public with the requirement to protect our facilities.

The Reclamation employees who manage and work at Minidoka Dam also live in the area. We are your neighbors, and we understand the frustration many of you feel about these changes. However, we are obligated to protect public safety and the security of this federal facility.

CATHI "C.J." McKERAL
LARRY R. HIEB
Burley
(Editor's note: C.J. McKeral is the facility manager at the Minidoka Dam. Larry Hieb is the technical services manager.)