Summer bummer: Rez just not the same this year, neighbors say

While town officials continue to do “everything in their power” to hammer out a solution with the owners of Reservoir Pond over needed repairs to the Pleasant Street dam, those who make use of the pond as a recreational source are beginning to see the summer of 2010 for what it has become: a lost cause.

Indeed, with water levels down more than five feet and weeds growing unchecked across many locations, the pond is now in its worst shape in years — and the effects have been visible, according to several concerned abutters.

“It’s really gotten to the point where very few people feel safe bringing a power boat out onto the lake,” noted Jim Rogers, a longtime resident of Pleasant Circle and a board member of the Reservoir Pond Preservation Association.

Founded in 1992 in response to what Rogers called a “major weed problem,” the preservation association primarily focuses on weed control but also educates residents about ways to keep unwanted nutrients out of the pond. Rogers said the group recently made the difficult decision to skip this summer’s weed treatment, which can cost as much as $60,000, mainly because the expense did not seem worth it given the overall condition of the pond.

Rogers said the board also wanted to save the money in the event that talks between the town and Napleton — which inherited the pond when it purchased the Plymouth Rubber factory site — were to ever break down.

“We have to be prepared in case we have to step in and facilitate a solution,” he said.

Still, in the absence of a new treatment, combined with only a partial treatment last summer, the overgrowth of weeds has made the pond inaccessible to many types of watercraft.

As a result, the Massachusetts Hospital School, which makes extensive use of the reservoir during its summer program, has had to scale down its water activities this year to include only canoeing and kayaking.

Dick Crisafulli, director of recreation at MHS, said the school has been unable to use either its 25-foot pontoon boat or its 18-foot safety boat all summer, which he said is a shame for the children and young adults in the program, most of whom have a combination of physical and mental disabilities.

“We’re also finding dead fish everywhere — they found a five- or six-pound bass floating on the water the other day,” Crisafulli added. “So the ecology of the whole area is being affected immensely.”

And while the boats are unable to access the water, Crisafulli said the irony is that the lower water level has made the perimeter of the reservoir more accessible to pedestrians, resulting in an increase in drinking parties and vandalism. Recently, he discovered a large tear in one of the school’s boat covers as well as a far more disturbing site — one of the resident swans hanging from a tree, clearly the victim of animal abuse.

Rogers said he shares the school’s concerns over wider access around the pond and, to some extent, the potential for fish kill in shallower waters, although he has not personally seen many dead fish this summer.

Crisafulli, meanwhile, said he does not fault the preservation association for skipping the weed treatment this year, adding that the group “has been wonderful over the years.” Instead, he blames Napleton for failing to repair the dam thus far, the state for giving the company too much leeway, and the community for allowing it to happen. “It seems that everyone wants to pass the buck,” he said.

Many of the pond’s abutters are similarly frustrated, Rogers said, especially with the state Office of Dam Safety for granting Napleton a generous extension when the company had previously refused to accept responsibility for the repairs.

At the same time, Rogers said most residents understand Napleton’s position as property owners, and they still have faith that a solution can be reached that would accommodate both sides.

Rogers said their one long-term concern is that Napleton chooses to breach the dam rather than repair it, which is one of the company’s options by law and would reduce its liability going forward.

However, selectmen have already made it clear that they will oppose a decision to breach at all costs, and according to Selectman Sal Salvatori, they have been engaged in “ongoing discussions with Napleton to encourage them to choose the repair option and to have those repairs made as soon as possible.”

There is also the possibility that the town attempts to acquire the rights to the pond — an idea first outlined in the town’s Master Plan in 2004. In fact, the document describes the acquisition of Reservoir Pond, Forge Pond and connecting streams as a “necessary step in implementing key trails and corridors” and further proposes negotiations with the owner, then Plymouth Rubber, as soon as possible with “possible near-term actions intended.”

Salvatori would not comment on the idea, other than to say that negotiations with Napleton have been “cordial” and he is optimistic that a workable solution of some kind will be reached.

Rogers, for one, would welcome an acquisition by the town; yet he would also be comfortable with a different arrangement, as long as it results in the dam being fixed.

“People are frustrated,” Rogers admitted, “and they are almost feeling a little helpless. I think the question is: Do you be patient about this or do you jump in and make a lot of noise?”

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Posted by Jay Turner on Jul 22 2010. Filed under News, Town Government. Both comments and pings are currently closed.