The Friends of the Upper Roberts Meadow Reservoir and Dam urge concerned citizens to take action now to save the dam.
See also:
Website: Save the Chesterfield Road Dam
countryjournal: “Upper Roberts Meadow Dam update” (10/12/10)
Two weeks ago, the news of an unstable retaining wall along River Rd. in Leeds grabbed the headlines and it appeared that the possibility of resulting raw sewage entering the Mill River was a more pressing issue. An application to MEMA for that project had also been submitted by the city, but was relegated by someone to a second choice, behind the BPW’s preference for the dam’s removal. The latest unofficial word is that no MEMA money exists for either project.
An Open Letter from The Friends of the Upper Roberts Meadow Reservoir and Dam (9/30/10)
The City’s decision to remove the Upper Roberts Dam appears to be based on a long-term cost comparison of alternatives to repair and remove the dam. GZA estimates the long-term cost of the two alternatives to be $1,893,412 for Full Rehabilitation and $1,200,000 for Removal. If the dam were reclassified to a lower hazard potential, however, the scope of repair work would be drastically reduced. Using costs from GZA’s itemized estimates, the long-term cost to rehabilitate the dam to the requirements for a lower hazard classification are estimated to be $566,453; less than a third of the cost of Full Rehabilitation and less than half the cost of Removal. Further, the risk of construction cost overruns are likely to be much less for the lower hazard rehabilitation alternative. This is significant because the City would be responsible for any cost overruns. [See PDF with detailed cost comparison]
Video: Dee Boyle-Clapp Rebuts Arguments for Removing the Chesterfield Road Dam
LaBarge, Spector and Tacy Propose Resolution to Preserve Upper Roberts Meadow Dam (8/13/10)