Poland Spring letter says partial well repair was a voluntary 'thank you,' town urges notification for out-of-permit actions

A letter from a Poland Spring representative, read into the record at the Denmark select board meeting, defended the company’s decision to help a homeowner repair a malfunctioning wellpoint and said the payment was a voluntary gesture to a long-time monitoring host, not an admission of a permit violation.

The letter — authored by 'Mark' and summarized by a board member — said the town’s permit requires the town and the homeowner to follow a complaint-and-reporting process when a neighbor alleges a dry well, and that Poland Spring is not obligated by the permit to pay for repairs. The letter said the homeowner, Nancy Dunn, permitted Poland Spring to monitor her well for 22 years and that the company paid roughly half of a repair cost (around $1,000) to replace an aged wellpoint.

Board members said they appreciated the assistance but emphasized a need for transparency: when Poland Spring conducts work that could be misinterpreted by residents as a permit concession, the town asked to receive notification so staff can document the facts and address public questions. The board did not take enforcement action and asked staff to make a process note that town complaint forms and forwarding to the technical agent are the town’s responsibility under the permit language cited in the letter.

The exchange clarified who holds responsibility for logging and investigating dry-well complaints under the permit; the board asked staff to ensure the town receives timely information about private-company interventions affecting monitoring sites.