BOSTON – Governor Charlie Baker handed out $10 million yesterday to communities to address the issues of deteriorating dams and to refurbish critical costal infrastructure, including $631,000 to Westfield to remove a dam contracted in 1899.
DPW Director Dave Billips was on hand to received the funding to be used to remove the Winchell Dam which is part of the city’s Granville Dam complex.
“It was a pretty good day, meeting the governor, Lieutenant Governor Karyn Polito and Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Matthew Beaton, they’re really nice people,” Billips said this morning.
“Storm-battered seawalls and aging dams present a real hazard to the residents and small businesses in communities across the state, especially under extreme weather events,” said Baker at the award ceremony. “It is important to proactively address these risks before disaster strikes, which is why this administration is focused on increasing the resiliency of the Commonwealth’s infrastructure.”
“There is a growing need to repair dams, coastal flood control structures and inland flood control structures that pose a risk to public health, public safety and key economic centers,” said Polito. “Governor Baker and I are committed to working with municipalities to address these issues and protect our communities from the effects of strong storms.”
“After last winter’s Juno blizzard, I visited a number of communities that saw real damage from intense storms worsened by the effects of climate change,” said Beaton. “These awards will provide our communities with needed assistance to be able to not only increase their climate change resiliency, but also improve ecological conditions and protect our natural resources.”
Billips said the $631,000 will be used for the engineering and permitting effort to be performed by Tighe & Bond and that the city will perform in-kind services not to exceed $200,000.
“Most of the in-kid money is for internal costs, labor and equipment,” Billips said. “The reason we’re removing the dam is that it is a ‘significant hazard dam’ which means if it fails it would result in the loss of life.
“Removing the dam also eliminates the cost of maintaining, inspecting and repairing an aged structure that we really no longer need,” Billips said.
Billips said that after the environmental and regulatory permits are in place and a design is developed for safe removal of the structure the project will be advertised for a contractor.
Billips said the project entails demolition of the granite spillway. The west endwall will be removed to restore a more natural condition, consistent with the surrounding bank. The east endwall and gatehouse will be left in place as a reminder of the historic significance the dam played in supplying water to the city.
