Seeking Athol Residents for Representation on the Town of Athol’s Lake Ellis Watershed Management Advisory Partnership

Posted on: December 12, 2022 - 10:54am

Seeking Athol Residents for Representation on the Town of Athol’s

Lake Ellis Watershed Management Advisory Partnership

 

For Immediate Release: December 12, 2022

PRESS RELEASE-

The Town of Athol is seeking three (3) Athol citizens to serve on a newly created Lake Ellis Watershed Management Advisory Partnership.

As Lake Ellis and its contributing watershed faces ongoing beaver activity, clogged culverts, inconsistent water levels, coupled with a need for a robust plan to address weed and algae growth now and for a sustainable future, the Town desires to have a single entity with broad representation of Lake Ellis interests review, plan and recommend improvements for the Lake’s future.

The Partnership is being established at the direction of the Town Manager after discussions at the December 6, 2022 Board of Selectmen meeting to establish the Lake Ellis Watershed Management Advisory Partnershi, which includes three (3) citizen-at-large members.  Additional members are to include a representative from the Friends of Lake Ellis, the Millers River Watershed Counsel, the Conservation Commission, the Board of Planning and Community Development or the Planning Department, Board of Health, Department of Public Works, Secret Lake Association, and representatives from an Angler/Fishing-based Association, such as the North Worcester County Quabbin Anglers Association.

The Partnership is one recommendation of the June 2021 Watershed-Based Plan for Lake Ellis, prepared from funding received under a U.S. EPA 604(b) watershed planning grant. The Partnership is envisioned as a vehicle to share information about Lake Ellis and its contributing watershed, review development proposals, conduct education and related public outreach efforts, and coordinate funding from a variety of potential funding sources to further evaluations and improvements to the Lake. A copy of the Watershed-Based Plan for Lake Ellis is available here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1LGq4_luNONh-19k3NsESZhxTI1aDj8rD/view

If you are interested, please submit your letter of interest by 5:00p.m., Tuesday, December 27, 2022 for priority consideration to:

Eric R. Smith, AICP, Director of Planning and Community Development

Town of Athol

584 Main Street, Room 29

Athol, MA 01331

Or letters may be sent via email at esmith@townofathol.org.   

For more information, please contact Eric R. Smith, AICP, Director of Planning and Community Development, at (978) 721-8500 ext. 517 or esmith@townofathol.org.