Franklin Lakes December 7, 2011 THE VILLADOM TIMES I • Page 3 County land diversion gains council’s support by Frank J. McMahon The Franklin Lakes Council has passed a resolution in support of Bergen County’s application for the diversion of restricted Green Acres property in the Campgaw Mountain County Reservation and for the preservation of property at the end of Omaha Way for park and recreation purposes. The county has filed its application with the commissioner of the Department of Environmental Protection, the State House Commission, the National Park Service Regional Director, and the General Services Administration. The three-acre site at Campgaw is encumbered with NJDEP Green Acres Program restrictions against the diversion of that property from recreation and conservation uses and a deed restriction held by the National Park Service. The site was conveyed to the county in 1972 by the United States Department of Interior with a deed restriction stating that the parcel must be used for public park or public recreation purposes. The deed permits the use of the property to be changed, however, if fully justified, by substituting alternative new park and recreation lands of equal or greater market value and recreation value for the land that would be released from the restrictive use conditions of the deed. United Water New Jersey has proposed the construction of a ground storage water tank project on the three acres. The project would include the construction of a water line, pumping station, and related infrastructure within the three-acre diversion site in order to provide water service to the Saddle Ridge Riding Center, a horseback riding facility located on the same parcel of land. The pumping station would also provide domestic and fire flow water service to the nearby Franklin Lakes residents located west of Route 287. The water tank United Water proposed would be a concrete and steel structure that would contain three million gallons. The tank, which would be 200 feet in diameter, would be a circular ground-level structure with a domed roof. The sides of the tank would be about 15 feet tall and the height from the bottom of the tank to the top of the highest point of the domed roof would be about 40 feet. The site would be fenced. There would be remote mounted cameras to observe the site, but no audible alarms or flashing lights. A gate to the site would be located on the easement north of the riding center access road, but the proposed tank would not inhibit or change the access to the riding center. Once the tank is completed, it would be either encircled with an earthen berm, or the sides of the tank would be buried and the area surrounding the tank would be landscaped to help hide it from view. The exposed portions of the tank may also be painted a color that would allow it to blend into the surrounding landscape. United Water claims the elevation of the area of the of the park property is ideal for this project because the water tank could be operated by gravity so water would not have to be pumped out of the tank to the company’s customers. In addition, United Water says it would be the most failsafe and quiet mode of operation, and would use the least amount of energy. It is necessary, however, to remove the Green Acres and National Park Service restrictions from that three-acre portion of the 98-acre Campgaw Mountain County Reservation through the granting of surface and subsurface easements. United Water New Jersey has agreed to compensate Bergen County for the diversion of those three acres of parkland by providing $2.5 million for the acquisition of the 13.9-acre parcel at the end of Omaha Way, which would be preserved and added to the Bergen County park inventory. The property at the end of Omaha Way is wooded, steeply sloped, and surrounded by residential properties on three sides and by High Mountain Park in Wayne on the south side. A developer received Franklin Lakes Planning Board approval to develop the site and construct estate-type homes on the three large lots. That development would be averted by this acquisition. The diversion of the Campgaw property and the acquisition of the Omaha Way site require the removal of Green Acres restrictions, which must be approved by the commissioner of the DEP and the State House Commission, according to state law. The release of the National Park Service deed restriction requires the approval of the National Park Service Regional Director and the General Services Administration. Blackwell Street Artists will exhibit at the Gallery of the Presbyterian Church of Franklin Lakes during December. Several local artists will be exhibiting with the group; they include Joe Terrone, Mary Guidetti-McColl, Peggy Dressel, Nora Winn, and Chris Kappemeier. The Blackwell Street Artists, established in 1983 by local artists from Morris County, opened exhibition space in a building on Blackwell Street in Dover. The artists banded together and became a non-profit group. They also provide lectures, seminars, workshops, and other commu- Blackwell Street Artists exhibit work nity programs about the fine arts. The group has received many grants and awards for its cultural contributions in Morris County. For details about the Franklin Lakes exhibit, call (201) 891-0511. Viewing hours are Tuesday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Other hours are by appointment. On Dec. 11, a Meet the Artists Reception will be held at the church gallery from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. The event is free and open to the public. The church is located at 730 Franklin Lake Road in Franklin Lakes.