Winchendon officials seeking guidance from residents on dam at special Town Meeting

WINCHENDON ― For 17 years, the historic Whitney Pond dam has been in need of critical repairs and town officials have called a special Town Meeting on Monday, March. 13 to address this issue.

The warrant article for the dam is a non-binding referendum, which means whatever voters decide, town officials are not legally obligated to do. The town meeting begins at 7 p.m. and will be held at the Murdock Middle/High School, 3 Memorial Drive.

In addition to the non-binding referendum, voters will be asked to approve the Community Preservation Act (CPA) with a 3% tax surcharge. Other articles include paying a prior fiscal year's bills, amending a bylaw and purchasing $40,000 of broadcasting equipment for town hall.

Why the dam repairs are needed

In 2006, a large sheet of ice hit a steel beam and it broke off of the dam. This damage released many feet of water that drastically lowered the levels of the pond.

A year later, the Massachusetts Department of Conservation & Recreation classified the dam as a significant hazard potential dam in poor condition and sent a list of necessary repairs to improve the condition of the dam.

Built for industrial purposes in 1880, the dam became a recreational place for residents to do water-related activities. Town Administrator Justin Sultzbach said the dam's aesthetic appeal has declined due to the low water levels of the pond.

"A large sheet of ice damaged the dam, so it changed the aesthetic of that really large, beautiful body of water," he said. "People used to come all over to use the pond for recreational purposes and now in some area it's downright swampy."

Two options available to repair dam

Hired by town officials, Tighe & Bond engineers determined that the town has two options to repair the dam. The first option is considered the most affordable choice and would cost $6.1 million to complete. The second option would cost $10.2 million to complete.

The less expensive choice repairs the dam, so no further damage occurs by placing concrete blocks on the downstream slope of the earthen embankment. But the water levels will remain the same. The more expensive choice rebuilds the dam's spillway and mechanical gate and would bring the pond back to its historic water levels.

Sultzbach said town officials are looking for guidance from residents even though they know Winchendon is financially limited. He said it's up to the residents to determine what the town can and cannot afford, not town officials.

"We talked about if for some time and we weren't comfortable making that decision on behalf of the community," he said. "That's how I ended up on calling a special Town Meeting so we can provide an opportunity for the citizens of Winchendon to come in and weigh in on this topic."

Community Preservation Act vote

Residents are also asked to vote on whether the town should accept a 3% property tax surcharge for Community Preservation Act purposes at special Town Meeting. The CPA tax revenue collected would go towards the town's open space and recreation land, historical preservation and creation, and funding affordable housing. Annually, the state will match up to 100% of the funding collected from the 3% property tax surcharge.

Sultzbach said if residents approve to join the CPA, the town would generate up to $500,000 each year, including the money matched by the state.

The town would also adopt exemptions for elderly and low-income residents. If the residents vote to adopt the CPA tax, the revenue generated could go towards repairing the Whitney Pond dam, Sultzbach said.

Residents would still have to vote on what projects the revenue collected from CPA will go toward, Sultzbach said.

"That's a potential funding source and it kind of goes hand in hand with the dam issue but even with preserving historic structures in town, the people still would have to vote on what that money will go to," he said. "The most important components that I want to stress is that this program is citizen-led. It's about what the people want and need."

This article originally appeared on Gardner News: Winchendon special Town Meeting on Whitney Pond dam repairs, CPA