The early stages of major repairs to the Jenney Pond dam, the construction of a nature-like fishway around the Plimoth Grist Mill, and the remaking the pathway through Brewster Gardens are underway.
The work is part of an ambitious project to revitalize the popular park area all the way through to the waterfront. The first major milestone was the opening of the new footbridge over Jenney Pond in July.
As part of the project, the paths from the Grist Mill to Brewster Gardens will be done over to be made more resilient to climate changes. Because of low-lying grounds and water flowing underground, much of the pathway is frequently muddy, and becomes submerged during some storms and high tides.
The pathways will also be enhanced with new landscaping and improved lighting.
The timing of the overhaul is complicated by several restrictions on when different aspects of the work can be done, said David Gould, the town’s director of energy and environment.
“No one wants us out here working during the summer tourist season,” Gould said.
But there are also the fish to consider. To protect them as they swim up and downstream, no work can be done on Town Brook until Nov. 15 so juvenile fish can migrate out to the ocean. Work will have to pause again between March 1 and June 15, when the adult fish come back up the brook to spawn.
Work on the dam that Spring Lane crosses over cannot be done without lowering the water level behind the dam, and because of the fish, that can’t take place until Nov. 15. The utility cables that go over the roadway will be replaced and placed underground. Existing gas, water, and sewer lines already under the roadway will also be replaced, Gould said, and new sidewalks will be installed.
All the pathways around and into the Grist Mill will be made compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act.
The bypass will go around the Grist Mill on the opposite side of where the fish ladder now stands. A trail will align with it, featuring new lighting that will reflect the look of the lights at Pilgrim Memorial State Park along the harbor. The new trail has been designed to be free of the water and ice that often made the existing trail an obstacle course.
“It’s a lot of work,” Gould said in summing up the scope of the project.
He hopes the bypass will be finished by next October. The fish will still use the fish ladder next fall, and in spring 2027, they’ll will use the bypass for the first time.
Gould anticipates that public access between Brewster Gardens and the Grist Mill will be closed all winter.
The cost of the entire project, from Jenney Pond through Brewster Gardens, is projected to reach $20.9 million.
The fishway project is funded with a $10 million grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. NOAA has already paid for the first part of the project, $1.1 million for dredging Jenney Pond. So far, NOAA has reimbursed the town for the first $100,000 it has spent for this next phase of the project.
The NOAA funds have been supplemented with town money. The new footbridge and walkways leading up to it were paid for with $2.7 million in Community Preservation funds. Town Meeting allocated another $6.7 million to repair the dam, and another $1.5 million in Community Preservation funds to redo the trails from the dam to Brewster Gardens.
Fred Thys can be reached at fred@plymouthindependent.org.