Town discusses plan to reopen swim docks

By Daniel Bornstein, The Dartmouth Staff

Published on Friday, April 29, 2011

• Print
• Report an Error
• Share

College officials presented the final plan to reopen the swim docks along the Connecticut River — which were closed last summer due to safety concerns — at the Hanover Zoning Board of Adjustment public hearing Thursday evening. The Zoning Board will decide whether to approve the plans at a meeting next Wednesday, Joanna Whitcomb, director of campus planning for Campus Planning and Facilities, said at the hearing.

The new swim dock will be located 200 feet downstream from its prior location and will include a path that satisfies accessibility standards set by the Americans with Disabilities Act, Whitcomb said. If the plan is approved next week, the College will need to submit a building permit to the town of Hanover in order to proceed with construction, she said.

The swim docks were closed indefinitely in June 2010 after a routine review identified several safety concerns, including the river’s rapidly changing depth, poor visibility and an unpredictable current, The Dartmouth previously reported.

The relocated docks will incorporate electronic monitoring devices that run in connection with the Wilder Dam to shield swimmers from dangerous currents and bacteria levels.

In order to create a path leading to the docks, the College will need to remove existing vegetation, according to Ellen Arnold, the College’s Associate Director of Real Estate. Because doing so will impact the environment, the College obtained a state wetlands permit and a shoreland protection permit from the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services, Arnold said.

The College is still awaiting permits from the state Division of Historical Resources and Department of Safety, but Arnold said the permits will likely be approved.

Zoning board member Gert Assmus raised concerns that the potential environmental impact opposes the College’s goal to “naturalize” the local area.

Roy Schiff, a water resource scientist and engineer for the civil engineering consulting firm Milone and MacBroom, assured board members that the new docks will not cause any lasting significant environmental disturbance to that area.

“There will be some disturbance and clearing to establish the dock, but the plan was made to re-vegetate,” Schiff said. “This site is not going to experience extreme flooding.”

The current plan will also prevent sediment erosion from filtering into the river, he said. The College selected this particular plan over alternatives partially because it requires a shorter trail to the dock, making it most accessible in accordance with ADA regulations, Schiff said.

When a board member asked about interference from boaters, Arnold dismissed such concerns. The previous docks were never used for anything other than swimming, and ropes will clearly demarcate the swimming boundaries, according to Arnold.

A 15-foot by 10-foot pavilion at the waterfront — which is currently being designed — will display safety and other information, house the display for the monitoring equipment, provide a secure storage box for lifeguard equipment and supply shade and seating, Whitcomb said.

Relocating the docks will cost approximately $200,000, which will be funded by the President’s Office, The Dartmouth previously reported.