By Wayne E. Rivet

Staff Writer

HARRISON — When new dam doors were installed at Crystal Lake to replace “disintegrated” and “deteriorating” components, one would expect any existing problems would be solved, right?

Don Fleming wonders if the new doors are causing a problem at his Crystal Lake Shore property.

“I’ve been having an issue ever since they put the new dam in. When it rains, the water backs up and covers the beach...The whole beach is flooded and it turns to mud. It doesn’t go down for weeks,” he told the Harrison Select Board last Thursday.

For years, Crystal Lake’s water level was regulated by the state, as well as Camp Pinecliffe, which had cement docks that needed higher water level from a safety standpoint.

But, when the town contracted for a new dam to be built, it took full control regarding the opening and closing of the gates.

Select Board chairman Matt Frank pointed out that Public Works Director Dennis Michaud and his department regularly checks on the dam and makes adjustments to water levels in response to heavy or persistent rain.

“I believe they take their job seriously,” Frank said.

Michaud pointed out, “The top of the dam threshold is set at six-foot-one. We try to keep it at six foot. If we know that a storm is coming in with substantial rain, we’ll open the dam up to try to get that mitigated so it doesn’t rise up.”

Last year, there were storms that dumped three, four to five inches of rain at a time and the dam “just wouldn’t handle that amount of water flow,” Michaud noted. “We’re doing our part to keep it clean, keep it flowing and doing the best we can.”

New gates enable town workers to clear debris and keep water flowing.

“It sounds like we think everything is working to specs, but it sounds like when your problem occurs, it is unpredictable,” Selectman Phil Devlin said. “It definitely needs to be investigated.”

Fleming said the high water has resulted in erosion, and “trees are falling into the lake because the water level is too high. It’s eaten away at the banks.”

Neighbor Jeff Theriault mentioned how his house was surrounded “360 degrees by water” at one point.

“I shouldn’t have to use a boat to get to my car from my house,” he said.

Town Manager Cass Newell said state engineers evaluated the dam, which was built in the 1940s, and rated it “well-constructed” and “as solid as it can be.” A company was hired to construct new doors for the dam.

“They tell us that the dam doors fit the capacity for the water level and water flow that we have,” Newell said. “We can go back to them and see if there’s more that they can do and to look at this further.”

SIDE TAKES

How to proceed with ambulance service? Should Harrison pay a fee to retain United Ambulance to handle calls here or shift solely to PACE Ambulance coverage, at no additional cost this year but the company will seek a fee in 2025.

Town officials hope to gauge the public’s view on the matter. A public hearing was held Tuesday, and a second will be held this Monday, July 22, 6 p.m. at the town office. A special Select Board meeting will be held after the hearing to consider the public’s comments and how to proceed.

A special town meeting will be held on Tuesday, July 30.

Town Manager Cass Newell is working with United officials on a proposed contract “that is acceptable for the town,” which will be sent to town Attorney Jessica Maher for review.

“That’s where we’re at so far,” Newell said.

United Ambulance also covers Bridgton, Denmark and Sweden.

“PACE is not asking for money at this time and their cost structure should be similar, I would think, but I don’t know,” Board Chairman Matt Frank said. “What we have to consider is that Norway is further away than Bridgton. If you’re having a heart attack, time is of the essence. If you’ve got a sprained ankle, you can wait. We’re talking about lives here and if nothing else, you’re going to have fewer ambulances because you’ve got one company instead of two companies.”

Why no audit report? Resident Rick Sykes asked why the town report had no audit report for 2022-23? Chairman Frank, who was re-elected to lead the Select Board, said the report had not been submitted in the “appropriate amount of time” to be published, but officials plan to get that report out to the public “as soon as we get it.”

“The report should have been available to us last fall,” Sykes countered. “What’s the problem?”

Frank responded, “We have no problem with our books that I’m aware of. I have a preliminary report.

Manager Newell clarified that a “legal issue” is holding up the release of the audit report.

“It is not because the town has done anything with finances,” she said. “We’ve been in communication with the audit company since day one. They were unable to provide the audit due to a legal issue. That is all I can say.”

The town’s attorney, Jessica Maher of Brunswick, was in attendance, but did not make additional comment on the matter.

“I will not ask what the legal problem is. To me, it seems unusual,” Sykes said. “Unusual that the audit report is not here, which should have been here last fall. I’m worried about that.”

Realtors tab Harrison for project. From time to time, the Western Maine Council seek out grants to fund community projects to enhance functionality, beauty or aesthetic quality.

Harrison was looking to address a changing area at Crystal Lake Beach. Council members liked the idea and submitted the project for a placemaking grant — and it was selected.

James Oberg, who is president of the Western Maine Council Board of Realtors, said “There were a lot of different towns and projects that we discussed. We thought that the changing station in Harrison was a need...We realized there was some red tape and that’s why we’re in front of you today. We’re very amendable to where you want to place it. We’re very familiar with shoreland zoning laws — that’s what we do every day and we want it to fit in. There are several spots down there that will work. It’ll be a great thing for the community.”

The 8-by-16 structure will include four changing stalls, one of which will be handicap accessible.

To meet the town’s Gift and Grant Giving policy, the Council and Select Board had a little backtracking to do. Although the Council already received grant approval, the Select Board had to vote to approve acceptance of the donation, which they did.

Selectman Nate Sessions recused himself from the vote because the Council hired him to provide a construction estimate.

Next, the Council will need to seek approval from the Department of Conservation since it now oversees any construction at the park.

Why? A few years ago, Harrison tried to limit access to Crystal Lake Park to residents only due to an increasing influx of out-of-towners looking to use the beach, resulting in some overcrowding. Officials later learned that the action was illegal because the town had accepted federal funding to develop Crystal Lake Park, and one string attached to those dollars was open access to all.

Then, the Council will need to take the project to the Harrison Planning Board for approval.

Town Manager Cass Newell asked that the Council check in with Harrison’s insurer to be sure insurance needs match up.

The target is to open the changing facility by next summer.

Questions & Answers. Resident Wendy Gallant had a shopping list of questions she posed at the last Select Board meeting. And, Manager Newell offered some answers.

One, swings at Crystal Lake Park were too high for younger kids, so they will be lowered. Two, Newell continues to work with a potential donor interested in funding new playgrounds. Quotes and information are flowing between the town and donor.

“We have some specs,” Newell said. “That’s what I’ve been submitting back and forth to the donor. As soon as it (an announcement) is ready for public consumption, we certainly will put it out there and let people know.”

Newell said the new playground is being tailored to the “younger children in this community to make it accessible for everyone, including being ADA compliant.”

Gallant thanks the Public Works Department for trying to remove poison ivy along the Mill Pond boardwalk. She noted that as part of her nature-based preschool (Miss Maples) program, kids learn plant and animal identification. As a community project, the kids made signs that show what poison ivy looks like and placed them near the boardwalk.

Room for Improvement. With the start of a new Select Board term, Phil Devlin sees it as a chance to bridge some gaps.

“I think we have our work cut out for us. I’ve gotten a lot of feedback and there are a lot of areas that we can improve on. I think the board had some high points, but I think it had a lot of bullet points last year. If we can focus going forward with a couple of things like encouraging respectful conversations with the citizens, responsiveness and transparency, I think a lot of the animosity that we saw we can mitigate that,” Devlin said. “We have to build up respect and some confidence. I just wanted to let you know that you may hear from me on various items on those kinds of topics. There are themes that I’ll probably try on during the course of the year.”