“We’re Back”: Sanford welcomes the return of the lake

With water returning to Sanford Lake, the community looks ahead to what comes next. Dolores Porte, president of the Village of Sanford, shared her perspective on how the lake’s absence affected residents and local businesses, and what the lake’s return means for Sanford.

What does the return of the lake mean for Sanford Village?

It means [getting] back to something that they’ve enjoyed, a livelihood that they’ve had, being able to water ski, go out on their boats at night, and visit friends. There’s a restaurant and marina they can get to. And so I think just making everyone really happy to be able to put their decks in again and to run up and down the lake — things they’ve done for years, in some cases for generations. ​​The amount of happiness, enthusiasm, and joy is pretty high.

How did the community and local businesses change after the lake disappeared?

For people who lived on the lake, it was just a constant reminder of the devastation – but for the town itself, I’d say we came back better and stronger and more resilient because we have some additional businesses. Right outside of town, Crazy Vines Winery opened up.

Our grocery store added a fast car charger for electric vehicles and added a BIGGBY coffee shop, as well as a great big outdoor market where they’re selling local farmers’ goods. For some businesses, they really had to wait and find ways to make it until the lake came back.

Right outside of Sanford is the Sanford Lake Marina, and the lady who owns it now [Linda Shephard] bought it before the flood. So she never got to open up that marina for six years. So for her, it was a setback because she had to sit with an investment in an asset for six years and wait for the lake to come back, so she’s just ramping up to open.

What are people most excited to see return as the water comes back?

Two things: fishing and getting back on the lake in their boat, and being able to be out there again – riding around, seeing friends, and water skiing. The landscape looks different from the lake. You can go up and down the lake and see so much more from the lakeside and enjoy the summer on the lake, like people have done for many, many years.

The lake coming back has just really brightened people’s spirits. It’s kind of the final goal. All this rebuilding, and now the lake is here. And we have a county park here with a spray park and a boat launch, and concerts take place there, so they’re getting ready to reopen on Memorial Day. People are really excited to have the county park open again as well.

What does a successful recovery look like to you?

We’ve achieved it as of Memorial Day this year. We still need to replace the Saginaw Road. So the true 100 percent, all the way done will be when the Saginaw Road Bridge is replaced, and we expect to have that done in the next couple of years. But I think for the general public, we’re there right now with the lake back. People feel like, “We got this. We’re back.”