PHILLIPSTON – Selectboard member Nicole Gough went before the Athol Selectboard on Sept. 17 to seek more time for Phillipston officials to determine if they wish to take ownership of the Bates Powers Dam.

The dam, constructed in 1846 and last reinforced in 1923, is owned by the Town of Athol, though it lies within the borders of Phillipston. Some Phillipston officials and residents have expressed interest in the town taking ownership in order to utilize the reservoir held back by the dam for recreational and public safety purposes. A number of Athol officials have expressed a desire to have the dam removed.

“We’d like a little more time to decide if we want to move forward with getting estimates on how much it would cost to repair the dam and what it would entail for Phillipston to buy the dam,” Gough told the Athol board. “We do have some residents who are very adamant about keeping the dam. One of them had offered to buy it, but I don’t think he quite understood all of the legalities that would go into it and has since backed out.”

Gough asked the Athol board for “a couple of more months just to see if it’s worth it for the Town of Phillipston to buy it.”

Asked by Athol Selectboard Chair Stephen Raymond how much time Phillipston’s board would need, Gough responded that that is an issue she would need to discuss with her colleagues. Acting upon a motion offered by Athol board member Rebecca Bialecki, it was voted to delay further consideration of the dam until their next meeting on Nov. 19.

Athol Assistant Public Works Director Paul Raskevitz told the Athol Daily News that the Boston engineering firm of Fuss & O’Neill has estimated the cost of removing the dam at just over $1.7 million. It’s likely, he said, that the project would be funded through the state Department of Ecological Restoration.

“We have not had an estimate done on what it would take to do a full repair,” he added. “We currently have it inspected by a town-hired engineer and a report is filed annually with the Office of Dam Safety. We have to cut vegetation off the dam annually as well.”

At the Phillipston Selectboard meeting on Sept. 18, Chair Bernie Malouin said the town would need more than a couple of months to resolve the issue.

“We have to go to Town Meeting on something like this – what’s the will of the people? Between now and November, we can’t do a project like this,” Malouin said.

Gough said that Nov. 19 wasn’t an exact deadline, and felt confident the Athol board would be willing to give more time if needed.

Instead of a couple of months, Malouin suggested that Athol could give Phillipston until next June or July to make a final decision. He said he was certain that Athol Town Manager Shaun Suhoski is aware that “any project like this has to go to Town Meeting. We still have things we have to accomplish before we go to Town Meeting. It would be up to the people to vote at that time.”

Board member Gerhard Fandreyer said that, before a decision could be made, it would be necessary to get estimates of either repairing or removing the dam. Gough said that some funds may be available through the Community Preservation Act.

“So, that won’t be until next May,” said Malouin. “And when I say ‘May,’ things happen. A couple of times we didn’t have meetings until the end of June. At the end of the day, it has to go to Town Meeting. We have to convince the people in Phillipston – and I’m not sure they’re going to go for this – that there’s a dam the state wants to remove, and the Town of Athol wants to remove. If we want to take it, even for a dollar, we still need their approval.”

Finance Committee Chair Tom Specht suggested the town could hire an engineering firm such as Tighe & Bond to determine what it would take to stabilize the dam.

The other Phillipston board members asked Gough to meet with the Athol Selectboard in November to see if they would be willing to wait until next June or July so it could be determined if it was feasible for Phillipston to take ownership of the dam or simply accede to its demolition.

Greg Vine can be reached at gvineadn@gmail.com.