Weeds in the lake are a disgrace

| 29 Sep 2011 | 08:49

    To the editor: It’s ironic that recently Tourism Commissioner Paul Bailey emailed me in reference to the GreenWEED Lake situation. I was just discussing this the other night with the Greenwood Lake Powerboat Association President. The southern end of the lake is an absolute disgrace. More often than not, I’ve seen the weed machine sitting idle in various locations — sometimes two, three or four days. It should be running 24/7. Even the marinas are socked in weeds. Where is Councilman Warden now? I thought he was going to be a volunteer operator. Forget boat racing — boating and all aquatic recreation is grossly impaired. Try fishing. Every cast is a guaranteed “grass bass!” It’s a joke! Greenwood Lake is the laughing stock of the powerboat racing circuit. At every event I attend, people ask me when I will get our race off. I can only say, “no clear water, no sponsor, no help or guarantee from the township officials.” I am overwhelmed with disgust and discouragement due to the inadequacies of the township council. There’s no way the southern end of the lake can be used as a legitimate draw for tourism. The weed conditions totally prevent any aquatic events. Farming out the work was the most effective, most economical and the most guaranteed way to be weed free. Money spent on the weed machine and everything related to it (salaries, insurance, fuel, maintenance, etc.) would have gone much further, possibly three to four years of service by outsourcing the work. Like one club member said, “one machine is like cutting a football field with a pair of scissors!” John C. Ringer West Milford