Work on the Waterloom Pond dam in New Ipswich has been delayed, though enough work is expected to be completed to refill the pond by the new year.
The dam is privately owned, and recently, when the head gate was operated for the first time in many years, a cast-iron pinion snapped, causing the main door to the dam to be stuck open.
A replacement part for the pinion is being manufactured, but there have been delays. The dam was built in 1776 and has not had major maintenance in likely over a century. The owners of the dam hope to be able to have the head gate operational by the end of December, at which point they will be able to let the pond refill.
There will be a planned draining of the pond at some point in the next three years to continue other needed maintenance on the dam.
In other news from the Select Board, the board voted 2-0 to sell the town’s 2001 International fire truck to the city of Fall River, Mass., for $15,000. The truck has since been replaced in the New Ipswich Fire Department fleet with a new vehicle because of structural damage.
The board also held the first of two public hearings to sell non-tax deeded properties owned by the town on Nov. 18.
The town held an auction for several parcels in November, including some that have been town-owned for decades after being given as gifts. While the town is authorized to buy and sell property, state law lays out the procedure for the sale of property gifted or bequeathed to the town, which is different than the sale of tax-deeded properties, and requires two public hearings to be held for feedback.
The town was unaware of the need for public hearings for non-tax deeded properties until shortly before the auction was scheduled to be held. The board decided to move forward with the auction, notifying the potential buyers that sales would only be final after the public hearings were held.
“This process is not how we would have liked to see it go,” said Selectman Jason Somero, who was acting chair for the meeting. The requirement to hold the public hearings after the auction “is a corrective measure,” he said.
The first property discussed was Map 11, lot 50, a .3-acre parcel that is landlocked and located behind 621 Turnpike Road. It was sold at auction in November for $500 to abutter David Ward.
Ward was present at the hearing and asked how the town came into possession of the property.
Somero read a letter from the Planning Board about the provenance of the property, which was initially given to the town in the late 1800s as a potential water source for a fire reservoir for the neighborhood. The town never used it for that purpose, and is allowed to sell the property because the use as a reservoir was discontinued or could not be implemented.
The other property is a 1.8-acre lot located on Route 123, along the Souhegan River which was sold for $2,000 at the auction.
Somero read a letter from the Conservation Commission which suggested there had at one time been a handshake deal conveying the land to the commission for conservation.
The letter contends that at least 30 years ago, the Select Board asked the commission if there was interest in conserving the town-owned piece of land for public access to the Souhegan. The commission accepted the land, but it was never documented, according to the letter.
Somero said that without that documentation, the town retained its ownership and right to sell the property.
The board did not receive any objections to the sale of the properties, other than a request from the public to ensure that the intent of gifts was being considered.
The board will hold its second public hearing on the sales on Dec. 2, and hold an official vote on whether to proceed with the sales on Dec. 9. Both meetings are scheduled for 7 p.m. in the town offices.