Category Archives: News

News from around the lake.

15 October 2019: Minor Repairs to Clary Lake Dam Completed

20191015_105109_compressedLast spring when the water level reached the top of the Clary Lake dam we discovered a few leaks that were missed during major repairs last fall. There were three gaps between stones near the south end of the dam by the red building, obscured by vegetation, and one small hole at the north end of the dam. At the time we just used sandbags to staunch the flow and made plans to repair the leaks properly this fall when the lake level was down.

We began the fall draw down back in mid-September and as of today the lake was 1 foot below the HWM, plenty low enough to allow us to make the repairs. Two bags of high strength Quickrete mortar mix and an hour and a half and we were done. Many thanks to Dam Operations Committee members Dave Knight and Steve Cowles for helping out with this project! Here are a few pictures from this morning’s work:

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2019 Courtesy Boat Inspection Wrap Up.

20190928_071451-MediumLast weekend marked the conclusion of the Clary Lake Association’s first Courtesy Boat Inspection season and I’d like to thank our volunteers who gave of their valuable time to help out at the boat launch this past summer. In no particular order: Dave & Gayle Knight, Dan & Dolly Burns, Gareth Bowen, Wynne & Michael Keller, Malcolm Burson, Jack Holland, and George & Margaret Fergusson.

The purpose of the State’s Courtesy Boat Inspection Program is to prevent the transport and introduction of invasive aquatic plants into lakes in Maine, and this is the 19th year that the program has been in existence. With the repaired dam and newly restored water level this Spring we anticipated a significant increase in boat traffic and our concerns understandably turned to protecting Clary Lake from the chance introduction of invasive aquatic plants. It took a little while to get up and running, but finally, in early July, about a dozen CLA volunteers attended a short training session put on by Midcoast Conservancy (see “Courtesy Boat Inspection Training Set For July 1st“) and we started up our inspection program the following Saturday. Our goal was to have a courtesy boat inspector at the State boat launch on Saturdays and Sundays from 7 am until 3 pm. We broke the days up into 2 hour shifts. Continue reading →

03 October 2019: Take Precautions Against Browntail Moth Hairs When Working Outdoors

Here’s a link to a Public Service Announcement (PSA) forwarded to me by CLA President Dave Knight, he thought it would be of interest to Clary Lake shore owners who’ve been impacted by these little buggers. Dave lives over on Hodsdon Lane, an area which was particularly hard-hit this past summer. Judging from the looks of the oak trees around Clary Lake this fall, next year is going to be another bad one.

 

2019 CLA Coffee Clutch

30 August 2019: 1st Annual Coffee Clutch

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1st Annual CLA Coffee Clutch

The CLA Coffee Clutch event was held last Saturday August 24th and we had a beautiful day for it. All told we had 7 boats and 6 kayaks show up carrying more than 30 people, all rafted together on Clary Lake, drinking coffee, eating donuts, and yakking up a storm. There was a stiff northerly wind so rather than anchoring out in the middle of the lake as originally planned, we moved the event closer to the north shore where we were a bit more sheltered from the wind. People who approached the flotilla from the south (which was almost everyone) had to battle high waves and a stiff headwind before arriving at the Coffee Clutch. Nobody had any trouble finding us- the sight of a few boats moored on the lake was hard to miss. Continue reading →

24 August Clary Lake Association Coffee Clutch Out On The Lake!

The Celebration Continues!

Come join us out on Clary Lake…by whatever mode of travel suits you… swim, sail, float, paddle, motor. Look for the boats tied up out in the middle of the lake this Saturday, August 24th from 9-11 AM. We will be serving hot coffee and homemade donuts from the Chase Bakery.

Tell your friends! Hope to see you there!

Editor’s Note: This is just the first “on the lake” event we’re planning.

12 August 2019: UPDATED Lincoln County News Article

The Lincoln County News finally posted on line an article about our Annual Meeting. It appears to be the same article, but with better pictures 🙂

Clary Lake Association Looks Into the Future

The Bangor Daily News also carried the story, as did the Nonprofit Quarterly who wrote this interesting promotional piece about the Clary Lake Association’s recent accomplishments:

 

Nonprofit, after Long-Sought Success, Adopts New Stewardship Role

These are exciting times!

12 August 2019: Lincoln County News Article on CLA Annual Meeting

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2019 Annual Meeting

It’s been a little over a week since we held our 2019 Annual Meeting and I apologize for not posting anything about it until now. We were all pretty busy in the weeks leading up to the Annual meeting, and I for one needed a break. I had meant to post about the Annual meeting, but Lincoln County News reporter Jessica Clifford beat me to it. She attended the Annual meeting and has written a great article (with pictures!) that appeared in last week’s 8-8-2019 Lincoln County News paper. The article however has not been made available online so posting it had to wait until I could scan and format it for the website:

Lincoln County News 8-8-2019 CLA Annual Meeting

I’m more or less back in the saddle now, and ready to get to work. There are some neat events planned for later this month and this fall. Stay tuned for details!

28 July 2019: Maine CDC confirms case of Powassan virus

One more reason to hate ticks, as if we needed another.

Maine CDC confirms case of Powassan virus

July 24, 2019
Human Services

AUGUSTA – The Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention (Maine CDC) has confirmed a case of Powassan virus infection in a Maine resident, the first case of the tick-borne illness in the state since 2017.

Maine CDC received notification of the case this week from the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services. The adult individual resides in southern Maine and has been hospitalized in New Hampshire. It is believed that the individual contracted the illness in Maine. Continue reading →

March 2019 Water Level Chart Archived

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March 2019

I have archived the March 2019 Water Level Chart (at left). The most notable thing about this chart is it shows that while we’re still a couple of inches short of the elevation of the high water mark as determined by DEP, the lake has nonetheless reached the highest level we can realistically expect to maintain for any length of time: as of this morning, the water level has begun trickling over the top in two low spots, one on the left side of the dam and the other on the right. By my reckoning Clary Lake hasn’t had this much water in it since 2010. I’ve been waiting for this moment for 8 years: as the lake has filled with water, my heart and soul have filled with gratitude. Over the past few weeks as the lake level has DSC_6276gradually risen, I’ve been seeing water in places where I remember it when I was a kid, and Clary Lake was my playground: the marsh by the Whitefield and Jefferson Town Line, one of my favorite haunts and fishing spots as a kid, is full once again with high water extending all the way to the culvert under the road. Also the marsh at the inlet from Three Corner Pond on Route 126 where we used to launch our boats before the State boat launch was built is once again full water. Continue reading →

30 March 2019: Fire Spreads to Multiple Buildings at N.C. Hunt Lumber

N.C. Hunt Lumber Company on Route 215 in Jefferson suffered a major loss due to fire that apparently started late last night. Fire crews from Jefferson and surrounding towns were still there this morning pumping water out of Clary Lake. Here’s an article from the online version of the Lincoln County News:

Fire Destroys Sawmill at N.C. Hunt Lumber in Jefferson, Business Plans to Rebuild

DSC_6269I stopped down this morning when I heard about the fire, and took the photograph at left of fire trucks pumping water out of Clary Lake. We have been planning for some time to install a dry fire hydrant at this location. Fortunately, the lake is almost full and they were able to get plenty of water or they might have lost more structures in the fire. 

NCHunt_Fire-03-30-2019Jack Holland sent me a the drone photo at left which I believe was taken by Mark Allen. You can clearly see the main sawmill structure and associated buildings are totally gone. It is amazing they didn’t lose more structures.

This is very unfortunate. Norman Hunt has donated generously to the Clary Lake Association in the past. We wish him the best of luck in rebuilding.

15 March 2019 Central Maine Papers: Whitefield lakeside property owners not entitled to monetary damages over low water, court rules

Central Maine Papers staff reporter Jessica Lowell has written an article about the Rubin v. Smith lawsuit.

Lake side property owners not entitled to monetary damages over low water

Here’s a link to an archived copy if you have trouble getting off the newspaper site:

25 January 2019: Lake at a Level Not Seen in Years

The lake has so far risen over 8″ as a result of yesterday’s heavy rain and is now 7 inches below the normal high water mark. The last time it was this high was 9 years ago, in 2010. It will continue to rise a little more over the next couple of days before it starts falling again. Ideally this time of year we’d like it between 12 and 24 inches below the HWM.
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26 December 2018: Update on Rubin v. Smith Lawsuit

IMG_20150828_155836 (Custom)The lawsuit that CLA members Robert Rubin and his wife Cheryl Ayer brought against Richard Smith, Aquafortis Associates LLC, Paul Kelley, and Pleasant Pond Mill LLC back in January 2016, finally, after numerous delays and stays, went to trial on December 20th and 21st in Lincoln County Superior Court. The presiding Judge in the case is Justice Billings, the same Judge that spent 4 years presiding over the Clary Lake Water Level Order appeal so he’s no stranger to Clary Lake, its characters, and its issues. Bob and Cheryl’s lawsuit was initially delayed to allow the WLO appeal to finish (which concluded in February 2018) and then delayed further to let Kelley’s bankruptcy finish. When we ended up closing on the dam this past October, the Rubin/Ayer lawsuit finally went forward. Bob asked me early on not to write about the lawsuit as he didn’t want the publicity. Now that the hearing has taken place, the lid is off. You can read more about the trial in the latest Central Maine Papers article about Clary Lake. Continue reading →

15 December 2018: Dam Repairs Completed!

DSC_6115On Friday December 14th, 2018 the PCS crew finished forming up the original log sluice gate in the middle of the dam and poured concrete, bringing to completion the major repairs to the Clary Lake dam. I can hardly believe it’s really happened! So many things had to go just right for this to happen now, from the lack of rain and snow over the last 2 weeks to the rising temperatures on the day of the pour. So much could have gone wrong, it really is a miracle. If the lake level hadn’t dropped enough and if the temperature hadn’t finally moderated, we’d still be waiting, and who knows when conditions would have permitted the repairs to be finished? It was only 4 days ago that I posted that dam repairs have resumed. All told this final phase of effort took 5 full days, made all the more difficult by the brutally cold temperatures for the first 4 days of the week. Here are some more pictures that tell this latest chapter in the story: Continue reading →

11 December 2018: Clary Lake Water Level Order Transfer Complete

We are pleased to announce that the Department of Environmental Protection has approved the transfer of the Clary Lake Water Level Order from Pleasant Pond Mill LLC to the Clary Lake Association. There was never really any question that the Department would approve the license transfer given that the State openly endorsed our effort to purchase the dam from Kelley’s bankruptcy estate, but it is nonetheless very nice to have this matter behind us. The WLO which was appealed right after it was issued in late January 2014, was upheld by the Lincoln County Superior Court in a ruling issued February 26, 2016. Now, if someone complains about how we’re managing the lake level, we will simply say we’re obeying the Order and if they don’t like it, they can take it up with the DEP.

As usual with DEP rulings, aggrieved parties have 30 days (from December 7th) to appeal the decision. Good luck with that! The chances of it being overturned are ZERO.

10 October 2018 Lincoln County News: Countdown On for Sale of Clary Lake Dam

A nice article in the Lincoln County News by staff reporter Jessica Clifford. It was going to be in last week’s paper but it got bumped:

Countdown On for Sale of Clary Lake Dam

The article states: “The covenants were established to prevent damage to the mill building from water flowing downstream.” We all know the real reason the covenants were placed on the dam property.

Here’s an archived copy:

 

28 September 2018 Central Maine Papers: Federal judge OKs Whitefield dam sale

Well that didn’t take long: yet another fine article in the Kennebec Journal and Morning Sentinel by Staff Writer Jessica Lowell.

Federal judge OKs Whitefield dam sale

I find this comment amusing:

Paul Kelley said Friday after the ruling was announced that he doesn’t know “how things are playing out. I do know that parties are generally unhappy.”

I can count the parties that are “generally unhappy” with today’s ruling on the fingers of one hand and have a couple of fingers left over. Everyone else is VERY happy 🙂

A minor correction: the dam cost $80,000 not $32,500

Here’s a link to an archived copy of the article:

 

28 September 2018: Bankruptcy Judge Approves FREE and CLEAR Sale of Dam!

YES!At a short hearing held today at 10 AM in Bangor at the U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Judge Michael Fagone granted the Trustee’s motion to sale the Clary Lake dam to the Clary Lake Association free and clear of the restrictive covenants under sections 363(F)(5) of the U.S. Bankruptcy code. Gone too is the Medius mortgage under 363(F)(2). Further, the Judge granted the Clary Lake Association Good Faith Protections provided by section 363(M) of the U.S. Bankruptcy code. The Judge declined to allow the immediate sale of the property so we will have to wait to take title to the Clary Lake dam in 14 days at the expiration of the appeal period. Should AQF or Richard Smith (or anyone else) decide to appeal today’s ruling, 14 days from today our attorney will simply file a motion to dismiss and <POOF> the appeal will disappear, thanks to the 363(M) Good Faith Protections. Continue reading →