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State Forces Town To Reconstruct Brick Blvd. Dams
By Catherine Snipe
Two dams in Brick must be fixed, and the township accepted a $741,000 state loan in order to comply with the Department of Environmental Protection's order to fix them.
The Rainbow Dam and the Lower Lake Dam, both visible from Brick Boulevard, are earthen dams. The state is requiring concrete ones.
The cost for the project is an expected $1.7 million to replace both dams, which have wooden bulkheads. The dams, which are part of Lake Riviera and Beaver Lake, are decades old.
Township Administrator Scott Pezarres said the state loan has a rate that is favorable compared with other forms of borrowing. The township council agreed to seek the loan at its meeting this week, and has plans to bond for the remaining $1 million.
The project is required because the state DEP changed its standards under the New Jersey Safe Dam Act.
But because it changed its rules, which will force reconstruction throughout the state, the DEP is facilitating the construction by offering long-term, low interest loans to fund the now-required projects.
If the project is not underway by the state deadline, the township could face a daily $25,000 penalty, according to the legislation.
"If we didn't have a loan, we'd still have to fix it," Pezarres said.
According to the state, the Lake Riviera construction start-up costs would be more than $550,000 as a dam restoration project. The Beaver Lake improvements would cost $229,000 in construction projects and is also for dam restoration. The legislation also forces improvements to such things as flood control, but Brick's dams have issues that require restoration, according to the state.
Several dozen townships across the state are affected to varying degrees, with towns such as Matawan facing a $16 million project for its Lake Lefferts Dam, one of the largest costs in the state.
One resident spoke out that if the Brick dams are restored, it could adversely affect his son's completed Eagle Scout project. The spot is currently adopted by a Brick Boy Scout troop and pack, who built a wooden railing as a safety measure for anglers fishing at the dam. If the construction workers weren't careful, they could undo much of the hard work the scouts did on the project, the resident said.
Council members suggested the troop stay involved in the discussions of the project as the township engineer's office drafts its plans to insure the Eagle Project work is preserved.
Though the state puts the project as one for the current fiscal year, bonds could be issued as late as 2008 as long as the project is underway, council members said.
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