STONEHAM – Repairs to Keewaydin dam are estimated to cost between $5,000 and $7,000, and selectmen agreed Monday they are necessary.

Andrew Lawson of Knowles Industrial Service Corp. presented figures for the work.

Last year, a state inspector said the dam was only in need of routine maintenance, First Selectman Neil Littlefield said. Now a crack has gotten much larger, he said, and there is disintegration of part of the concrete underneath the spillway.

The Knowles company says the crack needs to be grouted to prevent water entry and subsequent freeze/thaw damage. Repairs will require dry mix shotcrete and the use of mesh and anchor bolts.

The board agreed with Littlefield that repairs should be done before damage gets worse and repairs more costly, but they should wait until later in the summer when the lake water level is lower.

The decision may require a special town meeting.

Since the work on the Mill Pond dam has not yet been completed, the final cost of that project isn’t yet known.

Treasurer Mary Fox said there is $5,100 in the dam account, and officials say they’ll have to see how much remains after that project is complete.

Littlefield presented a suggestion from Brownfield Selectman Vincent Pistilli that all the towns in SAD 72 work together to change the way the school budget is approved, citing the ever-increasing cost as the reason. Now, voters decide at a districtwide meeting. Pistillie wants each town to hold a referendum. No decision was made, but the board is considering the proposal.