Dear Editor,

I have been a neighbor to the Hathaway Mill Pond in Rochester for over 30 years. My family has enjoyed the pond, fishing in the summer and ice skating in the winter. We were able to do this because the previous owners were willing to accept responsibility for the earthen dam.

Most recently the property was divided into a farm portion and a dam portion. The farm portion was sold and the dam portion was not sold. When the owner moved to another state the obvious and sensible thing was to offer the property to a person or group directly connected to it. It was time to pass on the considerable liability and maintenance expense to an interested party.

A number of years ago the owner asked Mr. Bob Hiller if the Hiller family would be interested in purchasing the dam property. When Mr. Doug Beaton purchased the Hiller bogs in 2009 he was asked also. They both declined. The adjacent owners, Walter and Woody Hartley, along with the new owner of Hathaway Mill Farm, were asked and all declined. The Rochester Board of Selectmen were asked if they were interested in purchasing the property as a public open space and they declined citing not wanting the liability and expense of owning a failing dam.

Expense and liability are huge concerns. Our local Rochester Fair was cancelled this year because of liability issues.

Where to go next? The Rochester Land Trust and Sippican Land Trust were approached and they ultimately partnered with the Coalition for Buzzards Bay and purchased the property in May 2011. With the purchase came the major responsibilities attached to it. State dam officials have declared the dam unsafe and require its removal or repair.

The Coalition for Buzzards Bay has a responsibility to create and maintain a healthy Buzzards Bay. Their for the dam reflects their mission. They stepped forward and accepted the financial responsibility and liability.

I hope this bit of history will enlarge the scope of the recent dicey discussions.

Thank you,

Maureen Sperry

Rochester