In response to my own question...for Northboy.
I did some due diligence and inquired directly to Liberty about the Mill being down. It was down for a time. However, it is back up and running. From my knowledge and new insight, it is not uncommon for a mill to be down at some point in the course of operations whether that is planned for maintenance or is unplanned. It happens, is dealt with and then fixed.
I never did ask about the mine manager. Things like this happen all the time, I would assume the reasoning for this dismissal was warranted.
So, in reference to the tailings pond, if the mill is up and running...they are NOT shut down. Yes, they are doing some work on it. That work is to improve its functionality and to allow the equipment traveling in that area to have a better footing while operating in that area.
M8Ball