CANTON — Selectman Chairman Scotty Kilbreth reported to selectmen Thursday that contractor David Bragg had successfully repaired the temporary dam. Bragg used boulders from the site to stop the flow of water through the log dam.

Kilbreth said that when all the water left through the breach, they were finally down to bedrock.

When the dam failed last Friday, it caused water to overflow Whitney Brook, which filled Bog Brook off of Whitney Brook behind Debbie Elmer’s home. She said it took about 24 hours after the dam failed for her garden to be underwater from Bog Brook.

Elmer, who is an avid gardener, said she lost about $400 worth of tomato plants when Bog Brook overflowed. The property is in the flood zone, but Elmer didn’t take the buyout when it was offered because she said the price offered was not the highest of two appraisals.

The board voted to take money from the dam fund to pay for the repairs.

Kilbreth shared a letter with selectmen from JoAnn Mooney, state hazard mitigation officer which said that, “after five and a half years and millions of tax dollars, the Canton Acquisition/Demolition Project is finally down to the last property to be acquired.” Mooney said this was quite an achievement.

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Mooney said if the last homeowner was no longer interested then the final procedures should begin to closeout the project.

The board agreed to request estimates for repairing the roof on the old Municipal Building. Those people interested could turn in their estimates to the town office.

Selectmen also voted to send Maine State Housing $1,000 a month until the town can sell the Village Ridge property. The town still owes $135,000 to the Housing Authority, but total expenses were closer to $177,000. The property was to build a subdivision for those people who were bought out in the flood buyout program from the December 2003 flood that inundated downtown Canton.

Riprap buttresses the timbers holding back water on Lake Anasagunticook in Canton on Thursday.


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