By Dawn De Busk

Staff Writer

NAPLES — A suggestion to put up fencing on the remaining abutment of the Edes Falls Dam on the Crooked River turned into a discussion about signs.

Resident Ken Norton, who has been very involved in the removal of the remnants of Edes Falls Dam, expressed his safety concerns about people getting injured climbing on or falling off what is left of the dam. Norton shared his recommendation to keep folks off the abutment with the Naples Select Board during its regular meeting on Monday.

He started out saying he had been spending some time at the swimming spot. Obviously, only the abutment on the River Road side is left now that the deconstruction work has been completed, he said.

This week, Norton witnessed a family was swimming in the river while one of the children got out of the water, wandered away from the family, and appeared on top of the abutment. Fairly quickly, the father realized the child had climbed up there and succeeded in persuading the child to come down, Norton said.

“I think the town should put up safety fencing. … It would be prudent to get it blocked off — something to protect people who wouldn’t climb it,” he said.

“It is still a 9-foot drop down the ledge,” Norton warned.

He said there would still be people who will ignore the fencing and climb it anyway.  

Naples Town Manager Jason Rogers responded to the suggestion.

Basically, he said that signs were sufficient.

“I did run the signs by our town attorney: ‘Caution fall hazard, No trespassing beyond this point, and The remnant of Edes Falls Dam is for visual only.’ That is about the extent of the signs. I did get those printed,” Rogers said.

“There is personal responsibility that needs to be exercised. The signs we are putting up meet the legal requirement,” he said. “We don’t put guardrails on every single road to keep people from driving off the road. I think the same logic should be applied here. Personal responsibility plays a big part in this.”

Fencing won’t be erected on the abutment unless the select board direct him to do so, Rogers said.

Norton paused for a moment and said that at some point in the future, railing might look nice and create more of a viewing area, while stopping folks from going to the end of the abutment. He admitted he had been atop the abutment twice and the view was amazing. He could see fish swimming down below. Norton offered to pay for the railing.

Town Manager Rogers said that if the board decided to pursue putting up railing, that would go through the Naples Parks and Land Use Committee. For the time being, he did not favor the railing idea.

“How many signs were ordered,” Norton asked.

Rogers said two signs: A larger one to replace the one at the base access on a tree and one to face of the dam upstream

Norton had some suggestions of better spots.

Rogers agreed to do a site walk later in the week to pinpoint the best location for the two signs.