Eagle Lake Committee, December 6, 2017

Eagle Lake Committee

Meeting Minutes

December 6, 2017

Opening

The regular meeting of the Eagle Lake Committee was called to order at 7:15pm on December 6, 2017 in the Holden Town Hall by Mark Taubert and seconded by Dan Marinone

Present

Gerald Kersus

Dan Marinone

Mark Taubert

Stephen Isabelle

Mark Aucoin

Sarah Edmonstone

Brian Vitalis

Approval of Minutes

The minutes of the November 29, 2017 meeting were still being edited by Mark Aucoin for additions suggested by the Chair. It was agreed that the minutes to the meeting on November 29, 2017 will be brought up for approval at the December 13, 2017 committee meeting.

New Business

Eagle Lake Dam

The Chair reviewed with the committee the combined expertise brought forth by it’s members to date regarding the Eagle Lake Dam.  The result is that the Phase II study is a necessity before the committee can move forward with any real numbers regarding a cost associated with updating the Eagle Lake Park. It is necessary for the Phase II study to take place to highlight the fact that the Town bears responsibility for any flood damage in the case of a “major” flood in the future. It was decided to move forward with a review of the bulleted memo prepared by Earl Nezuch. 

The Chair voiced his opinion that certain items on the list needed o be combined and others deleted to enable a cleaner version to present to the Holden Selectmen.  It is also recognized by the Chair that it is this committee’s belief that the Phase II Study is a necessity, and to enable the Selectmen to understand this perspective, this committee needs to present  more concise language with an emphasis on the possibility of liability for clams of damage if the dam fails to protect those further downstream, and the re-drawing of abutters property lines.

Sarah Edmonstone suggested the combining of items 2, 6, & 9.  To bundle them together and to highlight the possibility of liability. The Chair added that the spillway and embankment issues are still going to be central to this these items.  He suggested to eliminate items 1 & 4 for simplicity and not necessary for now, and to tie together items 3 & 5, and to take out item 11.  The Chair asked all members of the committee to work on any suggestions regarding this simplification of the original points and be ready to approve at the next meeting.  He also asked Brian to work with him to provide his guidance in making the final points meaningful and accurate for the Board of Selectmen.

This led to a discussion from a member of the public regarding property lines and issues of the logistics of what feeds Eagle Lake and how upstream spillways and other dams impact what happens with the water level of Eagle Lake. Brian Vitalis informed the committee that basically with the classification of Eagle Lake Dam as being a “high hazard dam”, necessitates any upstream dams to also be “high hazard” also.  He also shared with committee members and members of the public, his extensive reporting on Eagle Lake including several useful maps that helped to enable the committee to clearly visualize how one area impacts others and the flow of the water in area streams and reservoirs. 

The Chair discussed the issues relating to property lines if the water level gets lowered permanently.  The lines would need to be re-drawn and will necessitate lawyers and issues of who will pay for the costs of all this being done.  A question was also posed regarding who will vouch for the quality of the land that gets left after the lowering of the water level in Eagle Lake. As a point of historical accuracy, it was pointed out by the Chair that in 1985 the Town of Holden paid $50,000 for the land under the water of Eagle Lake.

 It was again pointed out be all members of the committee that whether the water level is lowered, kept the same, the dam taken down, repaired, a Phase II study must be completed to enable the Town to know the costs of any of the above choices.

Public Information Regarding Eagle Lake

The Chair reviewed with the committee all the options that are on the table for informing the public of the issues regarding Eagle Lake and the Dam. Stephan Isabelle put together a Face Book page that begins with 35 followers and growing.  This is listed on Facebook as a cause and not a group.  The committee looked at ways to get more citizens informed about the page and the issues that the committee is exploring.  A motion was made by the Chair to put all our current information regarding what the committee is charged to do on our Facebook page. Sarah Edmonstone seconded and the committee all approved the motion.  Letters to the Landmark were discussed and each member of the committee was charged with participating in writing them.  Flyers were prepared by the Chair for the committee to edit and review between now and Monday. This would enable the Chair to have a clean copy for approval next Wednesday. He also suggested to put this information on the local cable network channel 190, and to work on the possibility to include a flyer in the mailings of Holden’s electric bills.  Dan Marinone prepared a historical perspective and review of the status of Eagle Lake and the issues that are present for its future use. This was also provided to the committee and all were asked to review it for future dissemination to the public.  Mark Aucoin stated that he would work on getting the information that Dan prepared into a brochure type format that would be appropriate for tri-folding into the Town’s electric bills.

Committee member Brian Vitalis asked for time to detail concise sentiments regarding this committee’s stated objectives as outlined by the Holden Selectmen.  His reflections are outlined in the following format:

• Eagle Lake, it’s family park, picnic area, waterfront beach, wildlife, etc. is a treasured town property that is being threatened.
• The State of Massachusetts has already notified the Town of Holden regarding the safety issues of the dam.
• The Town of Holden has already paid for the land under the current lake and has only two options:
  1. Do what is right and maintain the infrastructure to be able to maintain the property.  Move forward and complete what is already stated must be done and order a Phase II Study of the Dam.
  2. Drain the lake of 88% of its water and do nothing with the dam.  Eliminate the water front park and playground, inform abutters about the changes in their property lines, plan for what the ramifications are for inaction.
• The dam is currently privately owned, and they know there are fines associated with the dam.
• One path forward may be for the current owners to sell the dam.
• The fact that the Town owns the land, it also must know that they may have the power to inform the Conservation Commission that they are not given permission to alter the wetlands that will exist.

The Chair stated that he will follow up with the Recreation Commission regarding where they stand regarding Eagle Lake Committee’s mission.  Brian brought up the point of reference to whether the Recreation Commission has any interest in the property or not.

Adjournment

A motion was made to adjourned at 8:52pm by Mark Taubert and seconded by Dan Marinone. The next general meeting will be at 7:00pm on December 13, 2017, in the Starboard Building. Marl Aucoin will acquire the key to the building.

Minutes submitted by:     Mark Aucoin

Approved by:                   [Name]