An assessment of the dam at Wilton’s Frog Pond showed that to make the recommended repairs would cost more than $500,000.
The dam is seeping, which is destabilizing the bank. A draft assessment of the dam prepared by SLR International Corporation, which included an engineering assessment to evaluate the dam’s condition and makes recommendations for solutions, found that to complete the recommended solutions would cost a total of $508,349.
Frog Pond is a manmade pond, with the dam creating the pond. The pond is located off a short trail that starts on Whiting Hill Road. The area is owned by the town and available for recreation such as hiking.
SLR has proposed two options for conceptual design to resolve the dam’s issues. The first is removing the existing spillways and instead installing a 6-foot by 6-foot drop inlet structure with a 60-inch outlet pipe. The second option is to install a slightly smaller inlet, of 4-foot by 4-foot, with a 48-inch pipe.
SLR recommended the first option, which it evaluated to be more cost effective.
Wilton Select Board members discussed the repair proposal Monday. Town Administrator Nick Germain said the board is considering the repair proposal, but has also not ruled out decommissioning the dam altogether, or putting both options in front of the town to allow the public to decide at a Town Meeting.
The town has been putting away funds for dam repairs for several years, including recently changing the purpose of the capital reserve account to allow for its use on all dams in town, and adding a further $150,000 into the account during the March Town Meeting. With the inclusion of this year’s funding, the account currently has just under $380,000, according to Germain.
In addition to the Frog Pond dam, the town is also facing needed repairs to the dam at the town’s New Reservoir, which Germain said is likely the more pressing need.
During discussion of the report Monday, a majority of board members said the cost of repairs was prohibitive.
“To me, $600,000 is a lot of money. It’s nowhere near a significant dam in relation to the reservoir, which is a much larger and more diversified and much more used resource, and we’re faced with two major dam projects, currently,” said Select Board Chair Matt Fish. “I think that we would obviously get a price on breaching the dam.”
Fish said the land does have value as conservation property, particularly as it’s the only conservation land in walking distance of downtown, but draining the pond would leave it a meadow.
“And it would still be wonderful,” Fish said.
Board member D.J. Garcia also didn’t think the cost would be money well spent.
“Based on the projects we have in front of us and the projects we could do with $600,000, I don’t think that it’s something we should be looking to save,” he said.
“It’s on a wishlist that’s a mile long at this point,” agreed Fish.
The board has yet to receive a price on the cost of decommissioning the dam, which Germain said could be significant, in part because of the work that would need to be done to determine the environmental impacts.
Selectman Kermit Williams pointed out that while part of the pond and the dam are on property owned by Wilton, part of the pond is also owned by Milford. Williams said that if the resource is of value to Milford, the town may be willing to pay a portion of the cost of repairs.
The board agreed to approve the report and submit is to the state’s dam bureau, as well as to the town of Milford for consideration.
Ashley Saari can be reached at 603-924-7172 ext. 244 or asaari@ledgertranscript.com. She’s on Twitter @AshleySaariMLT.