Franklin Lakes November 24, 2010 THE VILLADOM TIMES I • Page 3 Borough may open nature preserve to public by Frank J. McMahon At its December work session, the Franklin Lakes Council will consider the possibility and feasibility of opening the Franklin Lakes Nature Preserve to the public. The decision to review the idea more fully was made after Mayor-elect Frank Bivona described the history and current status of the property, and made some recommendations on how it could be opened to the public. Bivona explained that the 149-acre property with a 70acre reservoir, formerly known as Haledon Reservoir, was acquired by the borough in 2006 for $6.6 million. Two million dollars of that amount came from the Bergen County Open Space Trust Fund, $850,000 from the Green Acres Division of the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, $105,000 from the municipal budget, and $75,000 from the borough’s capital reserve account. Bivona added that the NJDEP requires that property acquired with Green Acres funding be open to the public and that all New Jersey residents be afforded reasonable access. “The preserve does not currently provide reasonable access to the public, and we have been delinquent in doing so,” Bivona told the council. The property, he noted, has a road near the lower dam that allows access to residential properties bordering the preserve. “There is currently a locked gate that, if open, would provide general access to the property,” Bivona continued. He pointed out that there is some fencing on the property, but it is in disrepair in certain sections. He said the existing fencing is designed to restrict traffic from going onto the upper dam, and that dam is generally in excellent repair with the exception of the dry wall side landscaping, which he said could benefit from healthier lawn maintenance to deter erosion. According to Bivona, there is a cleared area that is large enough to be used for parking if the surface were graded and prepared properly, but there are several dead or dying trees that should be removed for safety reasons. There is also a single, well-developed trail that circles the back of the property, and there is access from private homes and the High Mountain Golf Club on the back border, and there is evidence of motor vehicle use in these areas. “Given the closed nature of the property, our police generally dissuade people from using the property,” Bivona said. He pointed out that the borough is very limited in its ability to fund improvements to this property, although two grants totaling $200,000 have been received for the devel- opment of this property and for the development of trails on the property. However, both of these grants would require the borough to provide matching funds. Bivona said he investigated the possibility of using a fund totaling $100,000 that was granted by the DEP to be used for the acquisition of additional open space property but, based on the advice of counsel, the borough can only use this to acquire additional property or to retire debt related to the acquisition of property. He also advised that an ad-hoc committee of the borough previously provided a recommendation for use of the preserve that called for the full development of the property, including a very developed set of rules, permits, and active management. Bivona recommended the borough attorney review the borough’s obligations under Green Acres rules to confirm everyone’s understanding of those rules and to present a defined plan for the opening of the property so as to comply with the minimum requirements of the law. 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