William H. Wehr, whose grandfather ran the mill at Wehr's Dam, has been working diligently to save the historic structure from demolition.

At the Aug. 20 South Whitehall commissioners' meeting, Wehr reported he consulted with a structural engineer regarding the stability of the dam.

Wehr said he spoke to politicians to see if money is available and has contacted the Trexler Trust to inquire about funds.

He said the group, "Save the Dam," now has 1,000 signatures on petitions opposing removal of the structure.

After describing all his efforts, Wehr expressed dismay a group of "outsiders" could come in and destroy something valuable to so many people.

Wehr said he knows nothing about the Wildlands Conservancy, which proposed removal of the dam and restoration of the stream corridor in a presentation to commissioners earlier this summer.

"Who are these people? Who runs the Wildlands Conservancy?" Wehr asked.

He added it is not proper to have an outside group coming in to do things at the dam on South Whitehall property.

The Wildlands Conservancy, an environmental preservation association in Emmaus, obtained a grant to fund a study of the dam by KCI Technologies.

"Here's an organization we don't know what they're doing or when," Wehr said. "We have 1,000 people who want to save the dam."

Board President Christina "Tori" Morgan said KCI Technologies will arrange public meetings to gather input from residents, but no time frame has been provided.

Commissioner Dale Daubert concurred with Wehr.

"I don't like any outsiders coming in to decide what to do with the dam," Daubert said. "Why can't we have our own engineer go out and look at it and see if it needs repair?"

Morgan reminded him commissioners voted June 4 to allow the Wildlands Conservancy study.

Daubert was not present that night.

Commissioner Glenn Block commented on the matter.

"We're already committed to having the outsiders come in, but we can also have our engineers involved in it," Block said. "Let's have Pidcock sit down and report on it."

Commissioners agreed to at least consult with the township engineer to take a look at the dam.