Litchfield officials have chosen a contractor to make repairs to the dam at the east end of Woodbury Pond in Litchfield. The dam, which has been seeping at least since spring 2021, is to be repaired this summer by Chesterfield Associates Inc. of Westport Island. Joe Phelan/Kennebec Journal file
LITCHFIELD — Town officials have approved a $115,000 bid to repair the Woodbury Pond Dam to secure the leaky dam this summer.
Chesterfield Associates Inc. of Westport Island won the bid for the project, which officials said would involve using a sheet pile cutoff wall.
Select Board members, who made the decision at a meeting Thursday, also approved an additional motion to request an additional $60,000 at the upcoming town meeting to cover contingency and engineering oversight for the project.
The dam began showing signs of seepage last spring, and since then the town has worked to permanently fix the issue.
If left unchecked, the dam’s issues could negatively impact animal and plant life, lead to lower property values, cause the road across the dam to become impassable, and significantly lower the water level in some of the five Tacoma Lakes, according to officials.
Dave Allan, owner of Chesterfield Associates, attended the Select Board’s emergency meeting to answer questions about his bid, which came in significantly lower than other offers.
Allan explained the two credits, or discounts, offered. One being a $10,000 credit if he is able to drive the steel sheet pile through the middle of the road adjacent to the dam, and not at the edge. Allan said this savings comes as they will link the sheet pile through a vertical wall and enable riprap to remain in place, preventing the dam from eroding further.
The company also offered a $5,000 credit if the town does not require a coating for the sheet.
“Coating is fairly standard for us, driving steel sheeting in a saltwater environment,” he said. “You folks don’t have saltwater there, thank goodness, and I’m of the opinion that you do not require the coating. The coating also holds up the delivery, so there’s another $5,000 offered to you as a savings.”
Parker said that these decisions, whether to forego the coating or to install the sheet through the middle of the road, fall under the purview of the project engineers, Calderwood engineering.
“If you get the bid, then that would be something that you need to take up with Calderwood,” he said, “and if they’re in agreement to it, then I’m of the opinion that nobody’s going to argue with them.”
Parker said the only issue that may arise with driving the sheet in the middle of the road, is that there are people living on the island near the dam.
Allan said he went there prior to bidding and spoke with a resident who would be potentially inconvenienced by the project, and that he was amicable to the project and agreed to leave his car on the road to the side of the bridge while work occurs.
“We would guarantee him pedestrian access at all times,” said Allan, adding that they would stop everything they’re doing and let him walk by if necessary.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
