WEST MILFORD — The Greenwood Lake Commission will leave it up to the state attorney general’s office to decide later this month if the boaters fee approved by both the New Jersey and New York state legislatures is appropriate and enforceable.
Ella Filippone, the New Jersey chairperson for the Greenwood Lake Commission, told the township council on Wednesday night that she has heard comments from the public and some marina owners questioning whether the fees are appropriate. She said she contacted the Department of Environmental Protection and the state of New Jersey’s attorney general. A representative from the attorney general’s office will be speaking at the commission’s May 22 meeting, giving the office’s opinion on whether the user fee can or cannot be implemented and enforced. Filippone said she will go with that decision.
Filippone said the commission needs to raise money for next year for the programs it runs, including weed harvesting which keeps weeds from choking the New Jersey portion of the lake. The southern portion of the lake is man made and much more shallow than the New York side and prone to weed growth. The boat fees could raise $90,000.
“We’ll get a recommendation from the attorney general’s office,” said Filippone. “I’m more than willing to accept this individual’s decision.”
In 2010, just before he left office, former Gov. Jon Corzine signed a bill matching that of one passed previously by the state of New York, allowing the Greenwood Lake Commission to collect launching fees from boaters using the lake. The money would be used as a revenue stream for the commission. Currently, the commission, which was formed in 2000, gets its funding from the Township of West Milford, the County of Passaic, the Town of Warwick, Village of Greenwood Lake and Orange County.
Bad for business
However, some marina owners feel that implementing the fee will cut into their business and affect the entire local economy, chasing customers away to other lakes that do not charge a fee.
Bill Lind of Moosehead Marina said there is confusion among marina owners about the fee. He said the owners were never officially notified of the law. Rather, they just heard it from the commission.
“I believe the law is not legal to enforce yet,” said Lind. “We need to know that. We’re getting calls asking if it’s required. If not, the commission should update their Web site.”
Boat fees range from a one-day sticker for $7.50 to a season pass for a boat up to 25 feet costing $37.50. Larger boats would pay more per foot (see chart on page 1).
Keith Garley, from Alpine Marina, said the commission is a volunteer, advisory committee, not a regulatory one. He said the legislation from New York is not similar to that passed in New Jersey. Garley said two major bass fishing federations said they would not come back to Greenwood Lake if a boating fee is implemented.
And, he added, if the DEP and the DEC (Department of Environmental Conservation) want this commission they should fund it themselves.
“Boaters don’t cause the weeds or put phosphates in the water,” Garley said.
Good for the lake
“Our intent is to pursue the user fee this year,” said Filippone. “It’s the only way we’ll get money for next year.”
The commission needs funding to continue weed harvesting, she said. The commission also has removed 2,000 stumps from the lake for boating safety, and devotes much of its efforts to education, including a Lake Environmental Education Program and an Invasive Species Program. The group also developed an engineering study for dredging, a Stormwater Implementation Plan and a Wastewater Management Plan. They worked with the township to pass a septic maintenance ordinance a few years ago.
She stressed it was important the commission, marina owners and the township work together.
“We need you as a partner,” she told the council.
Her goal, she said, since joining the commission, is to dredge the lake. That is a very expensive proposition. She said she is working on getting federal grants to do that.
Filippone said that the West Milford Police Department, the state police and the county have the authority to enforce the boater’s fee. And, as incentive to marina owners, she said the commission would share the boating fee with marina owners who sell the stickers.
“This was a premier lake once upon a time,” said Filippone. “The goal is to restore Greenwood Lake to the gem it was.”
The Greenwood Lake Commission’s next meeting is May 22 at the Greenwood Lake Senior Center, 7 p.m.
Do you think the boating fees should be implemented to fund the Greenwood Lake Commission? Or do you think it will hurt the local economy to much? Go to westmilfordmessenger.com and tell us your thoughts.