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Highway department reports private pond dam failure; commission says emergency order denied due to missing filings
Summary
Derek Poirier of Otis Highway Department reported that a private pond dam owned by Hal Kobrin failed and damaged a town road; the commission said a requested emergency order (EO) was denied because required procedural steps, including an NOI by the engineer, were not completed; the town installed emergency culvert replacements.
At the March 18 meeting of the Otis Conservation Commission, Derek Poirier of the Highway Department reported a failure of a private pond dam owned by Hal Kobrin that caused major damage to a town road. Poirier said the town had to install emergency culvert replacements because of the damage.
Chair Dave Sarnacki responded that an emergency order (EO) for a level device at the private dam was denied because the proper procedural steps had not been taken. Sarnacki said the commission had requested an NOI be submitted by the engineer; according to the meeting record, that NOI was not submitted prior to the attempted EO. The minutes do not include an engineering report or a detailed timeline of the dam failure.
Why it matters: A private dam failure that damages town infrastructure can trigger emergency road repairs, pose public-safety risks, and may require follow-up filings and engineering review under state and local rules.
What’s next: The commission recorded the denial of the EO and noted that an NOI should be submitted by the engineer; no further formal action or vote on remediation steps is recorded in the meeting minutes.
