Commission hears update on Mill Street dam; Mass. Dam Safety issued noncompliance notice

Commission staff reported that the state Department of Dam Safety issued a certificate of noncompliance to the owner of a dam on Mill Street and that the commission has received limited direct contact from the owner this year. The commission voted to continue the related agenda item for a later meeting. At the meeting, a staff speaker said he had contacted state Representative John Zlotnick, who helped obtain information from state dam‑safety authorities; the staff speaker reported that Mass. Dam Safety issued a notice of failure to comply with a certificate of noncompliance on Aug. 6, 2025. The staff speaker said that was the most recent information he had available on enforcement action. Commission members asked when the commission last heard from the dam owner; staff said the last in‑person contact with the owner was earlier in the year and that the owner had not provided a substantive response on remediation steps. Commissioners asked staff to track the communications and to provide the date of the last contact from the owner by the next meeting. The commission then made and seconded a motion to continue the related agenda item (recorded as 170 Mill Street on the agenda) to Sept. 8; the motion passed. No remediation schedule from the dam owner was recorded on the meeting transcript.