Franklin Lakes May 11, 2011 THE VILLADOM TIMES I • Page 11 Borough plans official opening for nature preserve by Frank J. McMahon The Borough of Franklin Lakes plans to officially open the Franklin Lakes Nature Preserve, formerly known as the Haledon Reservoir property, on Saturday, June 11. Plans call for a ribbon cutting ceremony that is expected to include several invited state, county, and local officials. The 149-acre property, which includes a 70-acre reservoir, was acquired in 2006 for $6.6 million from the Borough of Haledon, which then owned the property, although 127 acres of it was located within Franklin Lakes and 21.39 acres was located within the Borough of North Haledon. Two million dollars of the purchase price was provided by the Bergen County Open Space Trust Fund, $850,000 by the Green Acres Division of the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection funds, $105,000 from the municipal budget, and $75,000 from the borough’s capital reserve account. The NJDEP requires that property acquired with Green Acres funding must be open to the public and that all New Jersey residents be afforded reasonable access. In 2007, the borough began remediating and improving the property environmentally including the demolition of a building on the site, the repair of dam valves and the dam’s electrical system, the location of emergency boat landings, and the stabilization of buildings on the site by importing soil or a contractor mix, and the installation of fencing on part of the property to eliminate the encroachment onto the borough’s property by adjacent property owners. Most of the cost of this remediation was paid for by $350,000 in escrow monies that the Borough of Haledon provided. In 2008, an advisory committee made recommendations to the council about how the reservoir property might be used. That report recommended a “passive recreation site” that would serve as a model for preserving nature and ecology. The committee also recommended changing the name of the site to the Franklin Lakes Nature Preserve. The committee recommended low cost uses for the site, including a marked nature trail for hiking within the preserve, fishing in designated areas of the lake with a New Jersey fishing license and a municipal permit, and areas for birding/wildlife viewing without the need for permits or fees. Borough Administrator Gregory Hart advised that the borough also did a lot of work to improve and stabilize the lower dam roadway. Recently, the borough council awarded contracts for the purchase of three, eight-foot long cedar look plastic picnic tables and three round-slatted trash and recycling containers in cedar recycled plastic for use at the site, and for the removal of 550 feet of existing fencing and the installation (continued on page 12) In 1911, our spirits soared, too. ������������ ���������������������� ����������������������� ���������������������� One hundred years ago, as the Wright Brothers’ dreams of soaring in a glider finally were achieved, 14 deacons from the Reformed tradition in Bergen and Passaic counties envisioned a way to lift the human spirit. They made a commitment to build a hospital for the mentally ill which would provide physical, mental, and spiritual care based on Christian principles. From a small 17-bed psychiatric hospital in a farmhouse, Christian Health Care Center (CHCC) has grown today to include a broad spectrum of mental-health and elder-care services with 12 expansive buildings on 78 acres in Wyckoff and Hawthorne, with a satellite location in Wayne. To learn all of the ways CHCC is continuing to lift the spirits of thousands of community residents, visit us at chccnj.org. ������������������������������� ���������������������� ����������� ������������������� ���� ��������������������������������� ��������������������� ����������������������������������� Christian Health Care Center 301 Sicomac Avenue | Wyckoff, New Jersey 07481 | 201.848.5200 | www.chccnj.org Elder-care Services: Heritage Manor Nursing Home | Southgate | The Longview Assisted Living Residence Hillcrest Residence | Evergreen Court | Christian Health Care Adult Day Services of Wayne and Wyckoff Mental-health Services: Ramapo Ridge Psychiatric Hospital | Christian Health Care Counseling Center Ramapo Ridge Partial Program | Pathways 003167.WrightBrosAd.6.75x10.5.indd 1 3/21/11 6:22 PM