The Norwich Pool Committee may have targeted a solution to the town’s swim-site conundrum.

Formed last spring to gather public sentiment and ideas toward replacing the Old Norwich Pool site on Charles Brown Brook, the committee has concluded that a stream-side pool created at the same location — in conjunction with removal of the on-site dam that for years helped form the old pool — would be its most favorable option for a new swim site in the future.

Federal Emergency Management Agency funding in the sum of $460,000 was recently approved for several infrastructure projects in Norwich, including the removal of a dam heavily damaged in 2011 by Tropical Storm Irene, an event that ruined the original pool site.

The town at first sought FEMA funding to repair the dam and thus restore the original pool, but its stream alteration permit application was denied by the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources in 2015.

Citing VANR’s recent encouragement of dam removal projects — their absence fosters a wide range of environmental and wildlife benefits — the Norwich Pool Committee plans to recommend the town pursue a stream-side pool that would avoid interfering with the natural flow of Charles Brook while still utilizing its waters.

“It would be a divergent pool off to the side, with some type of a wall or berm separating it from the stream,” said Norwich Pool Committee member Gered Dunne. “There would be a path for the stream to fill the pool, then be redirected to overflow back into the stream.”

While the current FEMA allotment sum would not fund that aspect of the project — along with the dam removal, those funds are now earmarked for Public Works Department equipment and facility upgrades — there are sources of funding for such a project that would eliminate the need for public funds, the committee maintains.

According to a draft of the committee’s final report, those sources include grants from Upper Valley-based charitable organizations such as the Byrne Foundation and the local chapter of Trout Unlimited, as well as private donors and volunteer efforts.

The committee in September solicited a survey to gauge public opinion toward potential alternative sites, including several along the Ompompanoosuc and Connecticut rivers.

“Those ideas were (largely) rejected by the community,” Dunne noted. “(Amenities) like parking were a concern at many of them.”

The Norwich Pool Committee, which has met roughly every other week since late August, has also held a series of public forums on the matter that concluded last Tuesday and drew about 30 residents to Tracy Hall.

While opinions differ about the various potential aspects of a new pool site, one point of agreement has been the desire to see one created again in some form.

“I think a lot of people miss having a place to bring families and a place for kids to swim,” said Dunne, who has a 2-year-old daughter, Willa. “There’s a lot of interest from that group.”

Paddle Trail Progress Continues: Michelle Graziosi of ECO Americorps — a service group dedicated to clean water and universal recycling — has been assisting the nonprofit White River Partnership in determining criteria for a printed map of the developing White River Paddle Trail.

An emerging network of recreational access sites along the White River and its tributaries, the White River Paddle Trail concept was spurred by the public acquisition of 11 FEMA buyout sites along the White River Watershed, each privately owned prior to Tropical Storm Irene in 2011.

Graziosi, a Long Island native and 2015 University of North Carolina graduate, has been visiting the paddle trail’s access sites to gather data in assisting the map, which White River Partnership hopes to publish by this fall.

The FEMA buyout river access sites include properties in Sharon, Bethel and Royalton, among other communities in the watershed.

“There are a lot of new sites, so it’s a matter of determining their characteristics and what they’re all suitable for, for recreation,” said Graziosi, 23. “Some might not actually be appropriate for paddling because of currents or water levels, but those same sites might be great for fishing or swimming. That’s information (White River Partnership) is going to want to include in the map.”

The route is inspired by the Connecticut River Paddlers’ Trail, a series of primitive campsites spanning that river’s entire 400-mile length from northern New Hampshire to Long Island Sound. While the White River Paddle Trail will aim to generally mimic that concept, there could be some sections along the route that are nearly impossible or difficult to paddle, depending on conditions.

“The Connecticut River Paddlers’ Trail is obviously a lot different because of how big the river is,” Graziosi said. “When you have really dry years, like we’ve had recently, there can be sections of the White River that can get really low. There are also some fairly high-rapid areas that would involve high technical ability near branches and trees. So we’ll be taking all of that into account before putting out the map.”

Group Commences Winter Hikes: The Sunapee-Ragged-Kearsarge Greenway Coalition on Saturday held the first of seven hikes through early March exploring various portions of its 75-mile network through 14 central New Hampshire towns.

Led by experienced members, the hikes range from a two-hour backcountry outing before business hours on Groundhog Day to a daylong Sunday excursion over 2,937-foot Mount Kearsarge in late January.

Saturday’s kickoff hike led participants along relatively level Class VI roads in Springfield, N.H. This Saturday’s schedule is more vigorous, a six-mile outing exploring Pillsbury-Sunapee Highlands along the Franklin Pierce Lead Mine Trail.

Dave Gardner, SRKG’s website developer and Sutton, N.H., representative, has been involved in leading the wintertime hikes for five years.

“A lot of people feel trapped inside in the winter, and that’s just not fair,” said Gardner, who’s leading the Mount Kearsarge outing on Jan. 29. “Winter is a great time to get outside and enjoy the wilderness and nature of New Hampshire.”

Gardner naturally cautions about donning necessary clothing and equipment and to know one’s limits before committing to extensive winter hikes.

“It’s easy to underestimate winter hiking, especially if there’s a lot of elevation gain,” Gardner said. “It’s easier when it’s nice and level.”

For a complete list of SRKG’s winter-hike outings, click on the Calendar on the home page of its website, www.srkg.com. For more information, email Sunapee-Ragged-Kearsarge Greenway Coalition at srkg@srkg.com.

Jared Pendak can be reached at jpendak@vnews.com or 603-727-3225.