State officials oppose it, but town leaders Norwich are all for it: rebuilding of the Norwich pool dam.
The original dam was destroyed by Tropical Storm Irene in 2011. This week the Norwich Select Board voted unanimously to send a letter to the Agency of Natural Resources that supports the rebuilding of the dam.
The swimming hole created upstream of the Norwich dam was popular with the community.
"For about ten weeks every summer and they would put the pool together, basically by putting the slats across the Charles Brown brook which is this very narrow, but also very cold and refreshing brook that residents like to use — especially parents and small children during the summer," says reporter Rob Wolfe, who has been writing about this issue in the Valley News.
Town residents have been asking when the pool is going to be restored, but the answer is: not this summer. The Norwich Select Board has been looking to rebuild the dam, yet only keep it closed for that ten-week period in summer, and have water run freely the rest of the year.
But state officials are opposed to rebuilding the dam, partly because of aquatic life, but perhaps more because it sets a precedent, Wolfe says.
"I think that the Select Board members' understanding is that there is some fear of setting the wrong precedent by allowing a dam to be rebuilt... legally the state views it as as building an entirely new dam... So they're worried about sending the wrong message," he says.
The town is facing a deadline in order to use Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) funding to construct the dam.
"FEMA has allocated them up to about half a million dollars for this project but the Select Board members say they have to spend it or commit it to the project by fall of 2016 — the clock can run out," Wolfe says.
The town has already spent $70,000 on preparations like wildlife impact studies to try to reassure the state.But Wolfe says people in Norwich are supportive of rebuilding the pool dam even if that price tag keeps rising.
"I think so — the residents are at this point are steadfast. They seem to support it," he says.
