ATHOL – Athol and Phillpston officials are wrestling with the fate of a dam that has been given a hazard classification of “significant” by the state.

The Bates Powers Dam lies entirely within the borders of Phillipston, but is owned by the Town of Athol. Athol’s Selectboard is scheduled to discuss the dam at its next meeting on Sept. 17, but Phillipston officials may ask them to hold off on a decision until that town’s Selectboard can weigh the benefits or risks of taking ownership of the dam, or encouraging its purchase by a private individual.

At its meeting on Wednesday, Aug. 21, Phillipston’s board initially asked Chief Administrative Officer Melanie Jackson to notify Athol Town Manager Shaun Suhoski that they were not interested in taking ownership of the dam. The decision was made at the urging of Athol officials, who wanted to know Phillipston’s intentions.

However, at the Phillipston Selectboard’s meeting on Sept. 4, they reconsidered the matter and have asked Athol officials to delay any decision in order to give Phillipston more time to weigh the options relative to the dam.

Suhoski told the Athol Daily News, “We are looking to advance this topic to a conclusion. We’re partners with Phillipston, we’re mutual aid partners, our agencies work together all the time. I’m sure if we get information from them prior to the Selectboard meeting, I’m sure the board will give their request due consideration.”

Phillipston Selectboard member Melanie Gough said she intends to attend the Sept. 17 Athol Selectboard meeting and “ask the board how much time, if any, they are willing to give us and go from there.”

Some Phillipston residents have suggested the reservoir behind the dam could potentially be used for recreation or conservation purposes.

Suhoski explained that several years ago, Town Meeting voters gave the Selectboard the authority to dispose of the dam.

“We had to continue doing routine inspections out there at the dam, as required by the Office of Dam Safety,” he said.

Suhoski pointed out that, under procurement statutes, one town cannot gift property to another town.

“If Phillipston does not want the property, there are other procurement things we need to do to dispose of the property,” Suhoski added. “If the (Athol) Selectboard wants to continue ownership, we probably would apply for grants to remove the dam.”

Originally constructed in 1846 and last upgraded in 1923, the stonewall, earthen-filled dam has a length of about 300 feet, according to the state’s emergency action plan. The pond behind the dam covers approximately 32 acres.

According to a 2017 emergency action plan completed by the state’s Office of Dam Safety, were there to be a failure of the dam, “There are no impacts anticipated to residences or commercial property. Roads in the area would be overtopped by relatively shallow flooding. However; the mathematical modeling does not consider obstructions forming in the waterways due to substantial debris movement.”

Greg Vine can be reached at gvineadn@gmail.com.