There is a very good chance that the Town of Exeter could, by completing some paperwork for a grant be eligible for upwards of a million dollars.
To remove the Great? Dam.
This was announced at Mondays Board of Selectmen Meeting
The one marred by high theater.
The NOAA representative said that this grant is here, now, and could be plucked. I believe it will take a decisive and nimble Community that signals the BOS it’s desire to move forward . We should lobby to have this placed on the March ballot and have a task force formed to get the grant documents in on time to the Federal Agency.
We have 13 years of data.
The BOS quite frankly needs to be told to get this done, by the entire Community and fast.
That dam is coming down sometime and there is no better time than right now.
Don’t kick the can down the road, be a hero, a legend in your own time!
There have not been any dam removals to date that have not resulted in benefits to those Communities removing these relics. They are unsafe and very expensive to repair , promote upstream flooding, block fish, ruin habitats.
How can anyone say “Oh but our dam is special, we have special circumstances”
This is all been heard before in every other community by naysayers.
I have gone back and checked news stories of dam removals across the Country and those same naysayers 5 years later are chagrined to say the least and embarrassed by their behavior at the time.
Please contact the BOS and help them with a “please move forward ” phone call or email.
They are becalmed perhaps even without a rudder and your input is key.
Key to a million.
Mike
The Exeter Town Crier 
Concerned Citizens of EXETER
The 10 year Great Dam/River Restoration Report is now in and to the Selectmen. The report states that grant monies are available and 50% grant money is available for the Dam Removal Alternative.
But on Monday night the representative from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) informed the Selectmen that that morning the Federal government announced the availability of special 75% grant funding for projects specifically like the Dam Removal Alternative. This is also a onetime funding opportunity! The catch is that all grant applications have to be in by this coming January 30th. This is a short time frame to prepare the necessary documents.
Regardless of how you feel about the various alternatives being proposed, or more likely, you don’t have enough information to make a decision yet, having the Town miss this opportunity to save the taxpayers up to $450,000 should not be wasted. Even if you have already taken the position that you don’t want the dam removed, if the majority of the voters choose that option, wouldn’t it be better to do it at a lower cost to the taxpayers?
In an effort to insure that taxpayers pay the least amount possible, regardless of the option chosen, we are urging the Board of Selectmen to do the responsible thing by planning ahead and taking a pro-active approach by pre-submitting the grant request(s) by the deadline prior to the decision.
Please contact the BOS by e-mail and encourage them to place this issue to the ballot in March.
Thank you
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This week at the Conservation Committee meeting Don Clement, Chairman of the Board of Selectmen signaled his intent to move forward with dam removal and a full court press to secure funding.
This is great news for the Community and the watershed.
Eight plus miles of habitat will be restored and water quality will benefit from a free running river.
Hooray!
Mike
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