ATHOL — The town’s fire chief and other officials on Tuesday gave the all-clear to the remaining 15 displaced Morton Meadows residents one day after 11 of their neighbors got permission to return home following a weekend evacuation due to flooding concerns.
Public safety, public works and housing officials met to assess the status of the continuing ice jams in the Millers River on Tuesday morning, three days after an ice mass dislodged along the river and swept away three steel brackets securing a 10-inch water main underneath the Exchange Street Bridge. Residents of Buildings 1 and 2 of the Morton Meadows housing complex were cleared to go home Monday, and those in Buildings 3 through 5, which face the river, got the chief’s blessing about 24 hours later.
Despite concerns over the water main, no customers are without water, but local officials must determine repair costs when the bridge is cleared for travel so the water system can operate at its full potential, according to Athol Town Manager Shaun A. Suhoski.
Morton Meadows residents were given bags filled with essentials so they would be ready to go if conditions worsen and they must be evacuated again.
The Army Corps of Engineers on Tuesday increased the release of water from the Tully and Birch Hill dams up to 550 cubic feet per second — 50 cubic feet more than Monday — to create a noticeable increase in flow and, potentially, in the river’s height. Jeff Mangum, the Corps’ project manager for both dams, previously said water is carefully released to relieve dams in situations like this. Local officials will continue to monitor the river and coordinate with the Corps in the coming days, according to Suhoski.
The Chuck Stone Little League Field, next to the Millers River, was flooded and damaged when the river overflowed with heavy rain and rapid snow melt. A YouCaring page has been set up to assist in defraying costs of repairing the field. The initial goal of $3,000 was surpassed and has been raised to $7,500. The page can be found at bit.ly/2mBEKlz. One anonymous donor contributed $3,000. According to a post on the page, the league’s board of directors is confident the community’s generosity will help get the field ready for Opening Day on April 28. The league reportedly does not have flood insurance.
Reach Domenic Poli at: dpoli@recorder.com or 413-772-0261, ext. 258 On Twitter: @DomenicPoli