BY ANN GENADER
WEST MILFORD — Three important pieces of news for people interested in Greenwood Lake came from the Greenwood Lake Commission (GLC) meeting.
The lake is refilling with water following the drawdown; the stump removal project will still continue and the GLC has moved to new headquarters.
After receiving direction from the NJDEP, the commission - because of ongoing drought concerns – started the refill process of the lake as of Jan. 1.
The water level of the lake has risen so that just three and one-half feet more water was needed to fill the lake to capacity, Eric Pain of the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) location at Ringwood State Park said at the meeting. Pain said the lake was lowered by five feet, four inches during the drawdown. It was reported that 39 permits for work on docks were taken out by residents on the New York side of the lake.
Zarrillo said the commission continues to seek grant funds to be used in the ongoing commission efforts to improve the lake.
Stump removalThe commission had an agreement with Downe’s Tree Service to spend $84,350 in NJDEP money to remove 1,200 stumps in the lake that are hazardous to boaters. Due to the absence of any sustained cold weather, that agreement had to be cancelled. The company needed four to five inches of ice on the lake to do the work as planned and that did not happen.
“We’ve been told the (NJDEP) funds for the project are safe,” said Zarrillo. “There are a few companies that can remove stumps with water in the lake. We will advertise for submission of bids for the work. We will be changing the wording and dates from the earlier advertisement.”
It is expected that the new bids will be received at 4 p.m. in the GLC office on Feb. 22. That would enable the commission to open bids and announce names of those submitting bids on March 22 at the GLC meeting at the Hillcrest building in West Milford, Zarrillo said. He expects there will be a special meeting in the commission office on March 31 with the company that is chosen to do the work.
The chair said due to fish spawning season, no work would be allowed between March 15 and June 15.
Commissioner George Vurno reported that Orange County, N.Y. executives have been very cooperative with the commission and that it is good to know that this year and every year they plan to present a check with funds in support of GLC efforts.
New GLC OfficeZarrillo said a steep rise in rent at the former Greenwood Lake Commission office has resulted in relocation of the commission to new quarters at The Bearfort Shopping Village. The address is 1616 D Union Valley Road, West Milford.
The $400 a month rent for the office will be split between the commission and the Highlands Economic Development and Tourism corporation (HEAT), which is sharing the space. The states of New Jersey and New York will each pay $100 of the bill and HEAT will pay $200, said Zarrillo. HEAT is a group here in West Milford that promotes tourism and economic development.
Film festivalTony Trimarco, Greenwood Lake N.Y. Chamber of Commerce chairman, announced that the Hoboken International Film Festival (HIFF) will be hosted in the Village of Greenwood Lake from May 19 to 25. Kenneth Del Vecchio is the event chair.
He said the week-long festival will be at Lakeside Beach at Thomas P. Morahan Waterfront Park. The HIFF Lifetime Award will be personally accepted by four-time Golden Globe nominated/two-time Emmy winner Armand Assante (Gotti; Striptease; American Gangster; Pvt. Benjamin) at the opening night ceremony on May 19.