The Rochester Board of Selectmen voted on Monday to support local residents opposing the removal of Hathaway Pond Dam.

The dam was recently purchased by the Coalition for Buzzards Bay. The Coalition intends to remove the dam in an effort to restore the Sippican River to its original appearance. The plan has been met with opposition from residents of the nearby Pines at Hathaway Pond, an over-55 community, and local cranberry growers who rely on the pond for agricultural purposes.

The Selectmen were presented with a petition of over 500 signatures from Greenwood Hartley, one of the developers of the Pines and a cranberry grower. Among the signatories of the petition are Representative Bill Straus, Rochester Herring Inspector Dave Watling, the President of Alewives Anonymous and many more.

According to Hartley, there is strong support for restoring the dam and the Buzzards Bay Coalition is acting without widespread public support for its proposal to remove the failing structure.

The dam has been declared unsafe by the Office of Dam Safety.

Throughout town, "Save Hathaway Pond" bumper stickers have become prevalent. At the same time, the Coalition has embarked on a public relations campaign, mailing out informational packets and "Restore the Sippican" bumper stickers.

Recently, Hartley-Zell, Inc. the developer of the Pines and Beaton's Inc., owned by cranberry grower Doug Beaton, who relies on Hathaway Pond for water, appealed to the Department of Conservation and Recreation saying that the Coalition neglected to consider that Beaton's Inc. would be willing to repair the dam when they presented their intent to remove it. The Coalition has often stated that the dam would be extremely costly to repair. Beaton has said he is working on a plan to repair the dam.

The Selectmen also voiced their concerns regarding the dam's removal prior to voting in support of the Coalition's opponents.

In other business:

The Selectmen thanked the Rochester Police and Fire Departments for their work during Hurricane Irene.

Rochester Memorial School, it was reported, was finished $600,000 under budget and a grand opening is scheduled for October 2.

Several Historical District rules and regulations that have been under consideration were referred to the Town Counsel due to their complexity.