The Norwich Pool was a public swimming hole created by a town-owned dam in the Charles Brown Brook, until Tropical Storm Irene washed part of the dam away five years ago. Since then, the town has tried unsuccessfully to get the green light to replace the dam and restore the community pool.
In October 2015 the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources denied the town's stream alteration permit application. Since then, the town has assembled a Community Pool Committee to study its options.
The committee is charged with making "recommendations to the Selectboard regarding options for providing swimming access to its residents, including established swimming sites and the development of one or more new sites, readily accessible to townspeople."
To that end, the committee has compiled a survey for Norwich residents, available online and at the Norwich Public Library. But the survey comes with the caveat that not all of the options listed within have been fully vetted.
"Please note that the Committee is in the early phases of this work," an introduction to the survey states. "Potential sites and criteria listed below have neither been formally endorsed nor studied for financial or environmental feasibility. Both of those important aspects of this proposed project will be examined during the Committee’s work, and the public will have numerous opportunities to contribute to those important discussions."
The survey will be live until noon on Monday, September 12.
