WAYNE — One of the town’s most storied structures is in need of repairs, which will also have an impact on Fayette.

The dam at Lovejoy Pond in North Wayne has guarded the pond’s south end since the 19th century. It was associated with the former North Wayne Tool Co., which operated until the 1920s. Historical records show that much of the village of North Wayne was built by and for the workmen of the North Wayne Tool Co.

“That dam that’s there now was one of three dams,” said Edward L. Kallop Jr., a member of the Wayne Historical Society. “There was a second dam that was a half-mile north of that dam, in the direction of Fayette Mills. On the south side, there was a larger dam.”

In 1983, the dam was resurfaced with concrete, which was but one of many repairs and alterations on the dam since it was built. However, since 1983, no work has been done on the structure and it has steadily deteriorated.

While the dam isn’t in imminent danger of collapsing, it needs work. Wayne and Fayette citizens discussed what to do at their respective June town meetings. A February 2011 engineering study by Wright-Pierce at the request of the town of Wayne recommended:

* Replacing the stop logs in kind or by installation of a manually operated gate structure.

* Sealing the low level pond drain.

* Resurfacing the downstream side of the arched gate structure.

* Repairing the right wing concrete wall structure.

* Repairing the gap between the curb and right wing wall structure and the deteriorated concrete above the curb.

Preliminary cost estimates for the minimum repairs came to $29,575 for the stop log replacement, $42,900 for sealing the leaking pond drain and $31,525 for repairing the arched gate structure.

Another preliminary cost estimate was provided for replacing the stop logs with a gate structure. This includes a temporary cofferdam, concrete work, gate and sediment removal. The construction subtotal is $107,500, permitting is $20,000, engineering and contingency is $32,250, and the project cost total is $159,750.

“It’s an asset,” Wayne Town Manager Amy Bernard said. “The town owns it. It’s kind of a no-brainer that we need to fix it.”

In 1976, the Lovejoy Pond Association bought the dam from a man who owned the Manitoba Camps, and the association had the town of Wayne take it over. At its June town meeting, Wayne residents voted in favor of raising $50,000 to go toward dam repairs.

A number of Wayne residents own property on the pond. Fayette and Readfield also have some landowners at the pond. At their June town meeting, Fayette voters agreed to set aside $25,000 for dam repairs. Citizens have the authority to appropriate whatever is needed from that figure at a subsequent town meeting or a special town meeting.

Fayette Town Manager Mark Robinson said a dam failure would have serious consequences.

“The issue of maintaining the value of the properties that enjoy waterfront is the issue here,” he said. “Our assessing agents tell us the value of properties there would decrease by 70 percent if it were turned into mudflats. It impacts everyone’s tax bill. The people not on the water would pay a higher tax than they currently do.”

Bernard confirmed that the Wayne assessor had also cited a 70 percent property value impact.

The town of Readfield will be asked for some financial assistance, Bernard said, because it has land on the pond. The three pond associations at Lovejoy Pond have been asked to do fundraising. Bernard noted that Wayne officials hope to start work sometime next year.

“We’re moving forward, and everyone seems pretty supportive in the town of Wayne,” she said.

Wright-Pierce met with Dan Courtemanch of the state Department of Environmental Protection on May 17 to discuss the environmental permitting requirements. Courtemanch confirmed that the dam repair as proposed would be exempt from DEP regulatory permitting under the Maine Natural Resources Protection Act, provided the activities do not require dredging sediments or installing an earthen cofferdam, and that all improvements take place within the footprint of the dam.

A non-earthen cofferdam installed adjacent to the structure to repair the structure must be removed within seven months. All proposed repair activities, except installing a gate in place of stop log replacement, would be exempt from DEP permitting.

However, DEP noted that if a gate is installed, it appears that sediment dredging and disposal of the spoils would be required. That would trigger the need for an individual permit, regulatory approval under the Natural Resources Protection Act, additional documentation and possibly a permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, under Section 404 of the Clean Water Act.