Meredith Selectboard agrees to use landfill for pipe storage for Waukewan dam repairs

MEREDITH — Large pieces of piping to be used to fix the Waukewan dam will be stored at the old landfill station, after the selectboard approved an agreement with Hampshire Hospitality Holdings LLC for the project.

The Lake Waukewan dam is located in Mill Falls Marketplace, alongside Mill Falls at the Lake, and is owned by Hampshire Hospitality Holdings, according to information provided by the town.

According to materials prepared for the July 13 selectboard meeting, the dam was deemed a hazard by state staff, requiring the hotel group to fix issues associated with it and the canal.

Town Manager Judie Milner wrote in the agenda material that the project was recently accelerated, due to a letter from the state Department of Environmental Services Dam Bureau. The project is expected to start in the fall.

“This was talked about at the last meeting, and as the board knows, there was a letter of deficiency to the dam owner, Hampshire Hospitality Holdings, to speed up the timeline on this project a little bit,” Milner told the board.

To do this, the “huge” pieces of piping need a 20-week lead time to be transported to Meredith from Texas. Milner said they will be coming on several trucks, as the pieces are so big, only three fit on a tractor-trailer. More than 60 pieces of pipe are needed for the repair.

The contract, included in the packet, states there is authorization to enter town property, located at 11 and 17 Jenness Hill Road, known as the Meredith Transfer Station and Landfill. A map shows the entrance will be through the area on the southwest part of the property, and trucks will bring the pipes to be stored on the northwest side.

The idea is to order the pipe to be in town when the contractor will be ready to start work in the fall, which will follow a bidding process.

“This is an agreement in order for the contractor to enter the transfer station, and store this pipe on our old landfill site,” Milner said.

Public Works Director Craig Hale said the penstock piping is going to be buried, which carries water from Main Street to the dam. He said the landfill has three landings built to handle any structure or storage, and the second landing was identified by town leaders as a good location, as there is very little other use in that area.

“It just works out that this area could be used for them for storage, and they can have access to it,” Hale said.

Hale said this is mainly for the pipe storage, and wording in the contract states it can’t be used as an active area of construction. Instead, it will be used as a long-term storage area. When the pipes are delivered, trucks can come through the highway garage gates, so there will be no interference with transfer station activity.

Hale said there is plenty of space, and he can be contacted about coming in and out of the area for deliveries, or removing the piping.

“We figured that was the best access,” Hale said.

The correspondence states the plan was drafted by Ari Pollack, the dam owner’s attorney, and reviewed and edited by Hale and attorney Tim Sullivan.

“It was agreed to by both attorneys,” Milner said.

According to the information provided by the town, Meredith is named as an additional insured on Hampshire Hospitality Holdings’ insurance policy, and they will be responsible for damages.

It was also noted the town received a FEMA grant to partially fund the project, and remaining costs will come from Hampshire Hospitality Holdings. A small amount of town work in the canal will come from an expendable trust fund.

Chair Steve Aiken said there will be additional decisions about the project at future meetings. He noted since this is a FEMA project, everything being used is American-made. He said moving this project along is vital, something which selectboard member Mike Pelczar agreed.

“I think it is key that we get this, so we’re not getting delayed,” Pelczar said. “That’s a major project.”

Hampshire Hospitality Holdings, including its hotels, was purchased in 2019 by Procaccianti Companies. An email and voicemail left at Mill Falls at the Lake were not immediately returned. Nor was an email sent to TPG Hotels & Resorts, the company which manages the property.

Hampshire Hospitality Holdings and the Turner Group, their engineers, are expected to hold a public forum and workshop about the project at the July 27 and Aug. 10 selectboard meetings.