Old Lyme — The town has received a permit from the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection to rebuild a fire dock at the end of Academy Lane, First Selectwoman Bonnie Reemsnyder said.

At Monday's Board of Selectmen meeting Reemsnyder said that the town has been working to obtain the permit, because the dock in the Lieutenant River is the "main source for firefighting in the village" section of town.

The town is working with Mystic-based Docko Inc. on the project, but work has not started yet, Reemsnyder said.

The town's application states that the town plans to rebuild an eroded dock from the 1930s that was used until recently by the fire department to access an emergency supply of water. The rebuilt dock will be capped in concrete and constructed from concrete blocks atop a wrapped crushed stone base.

The existing "stone and gravel-filled timber crib wharf" needs to be replaced to bear the weight of the firefighters' equipment, including approximately 40,000-pound pumper tank engines, according to the application.

The permit, issued by DEEP last month, is to remove the existing dock and install a 66-foot-long, solid-fill fire dock, with a concrete cap that ranges from 14 to 23 feet wide. The top elevation is 7 feet above the mean low water mark. The structure also has guardrails.

Five residents spoke at Monday's Board of Selectmen meeting to raise concerns about the proposal, particularly about parking and safety on the narrow lane. They said they understood the need for fire protection, but urged the town to consider alternatives to the dock and said the dock could invite people to use it for fishing and recreational purposes.

Norman Angus, an abutting property owner, said he disagreed with a statement from a town lawyer made in a letter to the DEEP that was included in the application. The letter said there was no objection from the abutting property owner when the dock was originally built, so the town is allowed to rebuild it.

Angus told the selectmen Monday that he is speaking on the advice of his counsel that a portion of his property is located within the fire lane. He also took issue with the concept of the fire dock, including that the dock is going to be raised unnecessarily high, and said the town should consider dry hydrants instead.

"There's no reason why dry hydrants wouldn't work at this location," he said.

Resident Tom Schellens disputed that the dock has been used up until recently, claiming the dock hasn't been in use for at least 20 years. He said he supports a water source for firefighting at the end of Academy Lane, but said he and the neighbors are asking the selectmen to consider alternatives to access the water and to not create "a nuisance" that would attract people to the location. 

"I think that just because we're this far down the road, doesn't mean we can't rethink this," he said. 

Reemsnyder said she would share these concerns with the fire department and that many of the concerns were addressed during the permitting process. She also clarified that the town has no intention of creating a boat launch at the location or encouraging parking there.

Selectman Skip Sibley said there is consensus that the fire department needs water access, and he said that the end of the lane has been in disrepair for years and needs to be fixed in some way. He also said he doesn't foresee a boat launch or park there.

"This is really strictly to service the fire department's needs, in case of a fire," he said. "That's the history of it. I think there's some good comments here, if we have to figure out a way to restrict parking, so that emergency vehicles can get in there ...we do that in other parts of the town, and we'll do it again if we need to," he said.

k.drelich@theday.com

Twitter: @KimberlyDrelich