Camden delays vote on future of downtown dam

Camden officials have postponed a town-wide vote on the future of the downtown Montgomery Dam until next spring, after residents were previously set to decide the matter in November.

The delay is meant to give residents and officials more time to gather feedback and information about the options for dealing with the 200-year-old structure, including preserving it, demolishing or partially removing it.

For about five years, the town has been weighing whether to remove the dam because it no longer serves a functional purpose and contributes to flood risks. The process moved ahead in 2022, when the town received a $1.6 million grant from the National Coastal Resilience Fund to help with its planning for flooding and fish passages along the Megunticook River, where there are additional dams further upstream.

Either full or partial removal of the Montgomery Dam would save the town more money in the long run while also reducing flooding risks and helping fish to swim upstream, although the costs would be higher for partial removal, according to Town Manager Audra Caler-Bell.

Some residents think the dam should go, but others oppose its removal. While it does not serve either a technical or functional purpose, proponents of keeping the dam have argued that it’s historically and visually significant to the town, creating a waterfall right in the center of town. A group called Save the Dam Falls was formed in 2021 to support preserving the site.

A citizens committee that’s been overseeing the dam project recommended that the town delay the vote that had been planned for this fall.

“We’re just not going to have enough time to work through multiple design scenarios and get community feedback” before November, Caler-Bell said.

The Select Board will spend the coming months collecting feedback on potential design scenarios for the dam.

“If you keep the Montgomery Dam, there’s less possibility for what you can do throughout the rest of the watershed and the rest of those dams,” Caler-Bell said. “What’s done at the mouth of the river has impact throughout the rest of the watershed, and we’re hoping to get some kind of resolution to that.”