Winchendon town meeting rejects CPA - next steps for dam repair remain unclear

Emilia Cardona, Gardner News
·2 min read

WINCHENDON ― Voters at Monday's special Town Meeting rejected the Community Preservation Act (CPA) that comes with a 3% tax surcharge and were split on how to repair the Whitney Pond Dam.

The town meeting was called by officials in hopes of getting guidance on how to repair the damaged Whitney Pond dam.

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

The town meeting vote was split with 51% of voters wanting the less expensive option, and 49% wanting the more expensive one. With the vote that close, officials are still unsure what direction to take.

The less expensive choice repairs the dam, so that no further damage occurs. This would be done by placing concrete blocks on the downstream slope of the earthen embankment, and the current 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.

Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation sent a list to town officials of necessary repairs to improve the dam. DCR said there are 10 different required repairs including removing trees and bushes, flattening slopes, removing steel support barriers, repairing damaged concrete walls and support barriers, etc.
Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation sent a list to town officials of necessary repairs to improve the dam. DCR said there are 10 different required repairs including removing trees and bushes, flattening slopes, removing steel support barriers, repairing damaged concrete walls and support barriers, etc.

Town Administrator Justin Sultzbach said the results of the vote were narrow and officials are not mandated to choose the cheaper repair option. Town officials haven't made a decision yet on how much money the town will dedicate to repairing the 143-year-old dam.

"I think we were hoping for a mandate, but the results did not provide any meaningful direction," he said. "Our team will continue looking for grants and the topic will come up in future board of selectmen meetings."

Sultzbach said town officials are just as split as the voters on which option is the better choice. He said the most obvious concern that residents have is the cost of the repairs, but he also believes not restoring the dam to its historic capacity negatively impacts property values, recreational opportunities and important wildlife that live in the area.

Next steps to repairing the dam

Officials plan to discuss the Whitney Pond dam repair issue during several board of selectmen meetings over the next year. Right now, the town is dealing with other big infrastructure projects, the main waterline from Ashburnham-Winchendon wastewater treatment plant project and the construction of the fire department's new addition.

Sultzbach said the next step for officials is to find out what the town's other projects end up costing to further determine which dam repair options they will choose. They will find out the total cost of several projects in the next six to eight months.

This article originally appeared on Gardner News: Winchendon town meeting votes on CPA, Whitney Pond dam repair