Newport officials defend dam operation

NEWPORT – Town officials said Monday that despite the death of local woman Joyce Packard, who drowned while kayaking at the mouth of Sebasticook Lake this weekend, the North Street Dam is operating correctly and was in no way to blame for the tragedy.

Town Manager James Ricker explained that every year for the past 23 years, the dam gates are opened to draw down the lake in a phosphorus reduction effort.

The gate opening is about 20 feet wide and 12 feet tall, and for the last two years debris has jammed the gate, causing damage and the need for expensive repairs. This year a screen was installed to prevent trash and debris from getting through.

“We opened the dam gate slowly this year, due to the restoration of the river channel downstream, but on the 18th we opened it fully. It was much later than normal. In fact, we were getting complaints from lake property owners that the drawdown was proceeding too slowly,” said Ricker.

“Certainly anyone swimming or boating near the dam puts themselves in a potentially dangerous situation,” said Ricker. “This is such a tragic, tragic event.”

Ricker said no-trespassing signs are posted on the dam, but no signs warn boaters of the open dam.

Packard lived two buildings away from the dam and had been boating with a friend Saturday when her kayak overturned and she was pinned underwater against the screening. She was not wearing a life vest.

Packard’s husband, Stephen Packard, heard the women’s cries for help when they became caught in the current. He attempted to rescue his wife, but he also became trapped against the screen and had to be rescued. The other kayaker was able to get out of the water safely.

Ricker said that the dam gates can be opened very quickly, but closing them against the force of the water takes more than 30 minutes.

Ricker said canoeists and kayakers have been “running the gate” for years, shooting from the lake to the river below, as well as using the pull of the current at the head of the dam to paddle against.

Packard, with her trademark smile and bubbly, positive attitude, is being mourned by the entire Sebasticook Valley area this week. She was a trustee at Sebasticook Valley Hospital and the Maine Hospital Association board, a member of the Newport Women’s Club, the Institute for Global Ethics and Sebasticook Valley Chamber of Commerce.

She used her skill as a clown to entertain at area hospitals, international ministries and nursing homes, and was an active member of the Somerset and Penobscot county hospices.

Sebasticook Valley Hospital Administrator John C. May said the hospital staff is devastated by the loss of Packard.

“When I first became president of the hospital, Joyce was the chairman of the board of trustees. One of the reasons I decided to come to SVH was Joyce’s energy and enthusiasm about delivering quality health care in the region. Whether Joyce was improving others’ lives in her hometown or halfway around the world, she brought a zest for life and a determined spirit to everything she did,” said May.

“She was a true advocate, a deeply compassionate person and someone who walked the walk of believing that one person really can make a difference,” May said.