Below, please find a letter from Kelly Macdonald, a very concerned member of the LMPA. She needs your support .….
ATTENTION!!! ALL Lake Maspenock Residents and Friends of Hopkinton, Milford, and Upton:
Dear Friends,
It is with heavy heart and deep concern that I write to you today, but it must be done.
I NEED YOUR HELP!
During Labor Day weekend, on Saturday, Sept. 1st, 2018, my twelve year old son and I accompanied several lake neighbors in an attempted rescue of the seventeen year old boy that drowned that day.
What started out as a large party of joyous yelling and cheering, ended with crying and the shrill screams of panic. Sadly, there was a language barrier, but lake neighbors rushed to the scene to investigate, reacting to the screams and panic, my son and I included.
Words cannot describe the horror in witnessing this tragedy unfold. Nine months have passed and I am still haunted by the sounds of crying and screaming, and the sight of the family running about in panic on the dam. It was obvious they didn’t know how to swim and no one could jump in after the boy.
911 was called. However, getting to the scene was chaos. The boy was on a neighbor’s pontoon boat docked at the bottom of North Pond Terrace, that ends at the water, at the Milford end of the dam. Upton EMT’s arrived via Crocket Road on the Upton end of the dam, and several of them ran the whole length of the dam to get to the other side. Milford and Hopkinton EMT’s arrived on the Milford side but they were unable to come down North Pond Terrace because the road is no longer accessible. This is unacceptable.
Could those EMT’s have gotten to that boy any sooner? We will never know. I do know that this question should never arise again! We should do everything possible to know that everything was done to ensure the safety of life!
Years ago, when Milford owned the dam, North Pond Terrace is/was the access road beginning at Pine Island Road, extending to the water at the dam. There is also a small portion of land at the base of the dam labeled as “Milford Town Park”. This access road served utility vehicles, emergency vehicles to the dam and lake and also as a boat access to the water. For many years, the town’s people have come to the dam for outings – as it should be.
When you’re standing on the dam and look out into the water, it is shallow for about 30 feet and then the water shadows (and is misleading) – and that’s where the bottom drops off.
Lake Maspenock is a beautiful little lake. It’s clean and great for fishing, swimming, and boating. People will always hang out on the dam. It can’t be policed constantly, and it shouldn’t be. It’s a great local spot for people to gather.
Now, just recently, on Sunday, June 2nd, another boy lost his life in our lake.
The bottom line is, now TWO PEOPLE HAVE DIED!!!
So, what can we do to help prevent such a tragedy?
There MUST be Emergency Access, RESCUE plans/ procedures and RESCUE TEAM put in place from all three towns collectively! This should be shared responsibility from all three towns!
I have spoken with other locals and propose a few ideas:
1. POST some type of warning sign(s) that there is a drop-off. This could be written in English and Spanish, with a simple stick figure standing in the water and the ground drops off. I have drawn an example.
2. REOPEN/UNBLOCK the access road of North Pond Terrace beginning at Pine Island Road extending to the water, as it was prior to January, 2014. (This road has always been an access road of 10ft wide minimum; now it is merely a path. See photos.)
3. ADD a small dock at the dam on the Upton side AND one near the beach for access in emergency situations.
4. INSTALL Emergency Call Box at the dam and at the beach.
5. ADD Emergency Life Rings at the dam and at the beach.
6. ADD a “shallow” swim rope and/or separate shallow area at the beach for younger children.
7. Emergency row boat stored at the beach.
8. AED shed at the beach and at the dam.
9. SHARED watercraft between Hopkinton, Upton, Milford, manned with someone(s) who can assist a rescue IN THE WATER – as opposed to waiting on the beach/land.
Lake residents discussed Preventative action, such as:
Safe Swim program for all children
CPR classes
Store extra goggles on board your boat
Life ring on your boat and/or your dock
AED sheds on private property
PLEASE! I IMPLORE YOU! — Send me your support, encouragement, and/or suggestions in writing, even just a few lines, so we, with the support of LMPA, may present our concerns to our town officials, as a community, to rectify the situation by putting solid Emergency Access Procedures in place!
Any and all concerns and suggestions should be presented to all three towns surrounding the lake. This would include Town Officials such as Selectmen, Fire Dept, Police Dept, Attny General, etc.
Any and all suggestions should be considered to ensure such a tragedy does not happen again.
PLEASE! Send your support in writing to lakesideliving85@gmail.com .
THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME, ATTENTION, AND CONSIDERATION IN THIS IMPORTANT MATTER!