An Atlantic Salmon Federation official is holding off renewing the Alna Head Tide Dam Committee’s charter while he evaluates the outlook for a project at the dam site.

Andrew Goode said Tuesday that he expects to consult with engineers and factor in the input he got Monday night from selectmen and the committee; then, hopefully the week of Feb. 15, he will have recommendations ready for the town, on where to go from this point, he said.

“I couldn’t say what that is at the moment.”

The committee has done a lot of good work and gathered good data, Goode said in an interview ahead of Monday’s meeting. The next steps will depend on how restricted the panel’s, and the project’s, options would be, he said.

“We don’t want to waste anybody’s time,” Goode, the federation’s vice president of U.S. programs, said Feb. 4.

Selectmen renewed the committee’s charter in January, giving the panel another year to propose a project; however, selectmen noted that the federation also needs to sign off on the deal, as it did the original one in 2015.

The 2016 charter bars any substantial altering of the town-owned dam. A deed covenant, from the Jewett family’s handover of the dam a half-century ago, calls for the dam to never be destroyed; selectmen have said they will honor it.

Goode said he wants to be sensitive to the concerns selectmen have raised about the potential for division in town.

“We don’t want to create polarization in the community.”

From the outset, Goode has sought a project that would aid fish passage, honor the site’s history and make other improvements.

A project could shore up the aging dam, Goode said. “I’ve always believed this was a win-win,” for fish passage and the town as the dam’s owner, he added.

The talks with selectmen and the committee would help determine how best to proceed, Goode said. “Whether it’s to go forward, or it’s stepping back and picking one issue ... We’re in the evaluating stage.”

On Tuesday, First Selectman David Abbott said selectmen Monday night reiterated their position that, as the dam’s stewards, they would honor the Jewett family’s covenant. 

“That’s our stand and it hasn’t changed, that if they come up with anything that would violate the covenant, that we’re not going to bring it forward to the town,” Abbott said in an interview days earlier.

Chairman steps down

David Reingardt has resigned, effective immediately, as the dam panel’s chairman. The former selectman’s Feb. 8 letter cites personal reasons, offers to still help, and offers hope for a project.

“I have put some irons into my personal fire and I need to focus my efforts on these issues. I realize there is still a great deal of work to be done and I feel a positive outcome for all parties in the town is possible,” Reingardt writes in Monday’s letter to selectmen.

“As (committee) chair ... I was able to learn a great deal about the various issues facing the town and the Sheepscot River,” Reingardt continues. “I have enjoyed working with the diverse and committed citizens of Alna who have volunteered their time to evaluate the dam site. There remains significant information related to fisheries issues that should be incorporated into this process.

“Therefore, I would be interested in remaining involved in a limited fashion in the work of the Dam Committee if it continues moving forward.”

Reached Tuesday, Reingardt said he has nothing further to say at this time.

Abbott on Tuesday described Reingardt’s resignation as unfortunate. “But we appreciate the work he’s put in.”