By Dawn De Busk

Staff Writer

NAPLES — The Town of Naples is trying to catch the attention of any residents who would like to be on a committee to review the Edes Falls Dam.

Currently, the town is working with Q-Team Tree Service to remove the log jam and debris in the Crooked River. The goal is to clear a space, allowing spawning fish to move upriver. 

That’s because people rejected the bigger project of removing some stones that create a barrier for salmon. Those stones are part of the remnants of the former Edes Falls Dam.

“After the last meeting, we heard a lot of comments from taxpayers —  some who live on the river, and some who do not. Hopefully, we can get more [people] to sign up,” Vice-chair Bob Caron II said. 

“We will send another notice out in the newspaper, on our [Town of Naples] website and Facebook page,” Caron said.

The Edes Fall Dam was on the agenda during the Naples Board of Selectmen meeting on Monday.   

A few months ago, a public hearing was held, and the majority of people did not support the options offered by the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife (IFW).

So, the next step is to create a committee or working group to study the dam removal from all angles. 

IFW Fisheries Biologist Jim Pellerin spoke. 

“We want to work with the town and get a long-term solution. [We want to] meet with individual landowners, form a committee or work group, address legitimate concerns. There are some concerns that have a lot of emotion there and are not rational. But legitimate concerns we can address,” Pellerin said. “We can look for a reasonable solution.”

Caron said that once formed the committee could write down the pros and cons of different options. Caron said there were two or three people who volunteered after the public hearing this spring. 

Pellerin suggested that someone from the Naples Historical Society should be on the committee.

Jim Westcott, from Trout Unlimited - Sebago Chapter, volunteered his time. 

“Is your working group limited to residents only? I would like to be on it,” Westcott said.

Caron had the floor.

“I don’t see why not. Anyone who has an interest can come. You wouldn’t have voting rights,” Caron said. 

An audience member who was at the Edes Falls Dam public hearing spoke.

“I thought the decision was we were going to clean out the log jam and see what happened to the fish. Then, maybe to the town vote. I’m asking why now we are forming a committee Are you getting pressure from the state,” she said.

Hawley answered.  

“The decision was to clean out the sluiceway. Yes, Inland Fisheries is looking for a more permanent solution,” he said.

Moving forward, there will be the formation of a committee that will recommend its findings to the selectmen; the selectmen  will make a decision at a future meeting; and possibly, it will go to town meeting, Hawley said.  

Caron said that perhaps an engineer could review if the center stones could be removed without destabilizing the structure. 

Hawley said there were other issues.

“Jim [Pellerin] has sent pictures of the stones in the dam having moved due to ice,” he said. “The question is: Do we take it down or do we not? The committee is being formed to determinethe future of the structure. Is it worth saving?”

Pellerin spoke.

“I want to clarify that we aren’t proposing taking the dam down.”