The planning efforts culminated in a recommendation from the Kinni Corridor Project Committee to move toward the removal of both dams, prompting the Council’s 2018 resolution. The committee also recommended the creation of an implementation committee to bring the community’s vision to life. In 2019, Kinni Corridor Collaborative (KCC) was founded to achieve that purpose.
“Once the decision was made to take the dams out, that was a huge project, and the question was, ‘How does city of 16,000 start to crack that?’” Peterson said. “The only logical path forward was through a community partnership.”
KCC has two primary roles: fundraising to support implementation efforts, and community engagement to ensure residents' voices remain centered.
“They are invaluable in keeping the vision alive as we navigate what continues to be a long process toward a free-flowing river," Simpson said. "KCC is here to keep us connected to the community and help carry on that legacy of, ‘We built the plan together and we’re going to implement it together.’”
“We are proud to have a highly engaged, all-volunteer board representing many different stakeholder groups in the community,” KCC President Judie Foster Babcock said. “These connections have helped us make some huge strides, including raising funds to support the decommissioning of Powell Falls Dam and to supplement the one-million-dollar grant the Wisconsin DNR offered for the removal of Powell Falls dam. We have also committed to raise up to $175,000 toward the City’s portion of costs for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers feasibility study.”
“I believe the Army Corps involvement is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” KCC Vice President Steve Goff said. “The Corps has experienced professionals that can provide the resources, technical expertise, and guidance to move us forward through the implementation process.”