Page 10 THE VILLADOM TIMES III • August 3, 2011 Waldwick Residents of the Derby Lane sewer pump station area in Waldwick have until Sept. 1 to arrange for an inspection of their property or face a $50 per month surcharge. Last week, Waldwick Borough Administrator Gary Kratz sent out a reminder letter to those residents who had not responded to an earlier communiqué sent at the end of May asking them to schedule the inspection. The home inspections are required by ordinance whether or not the residents have sump pumps. Residents must contact the building inspector’s office at (201) 652-5300, extension 232 to schedule the inspection. The streets covered by Phase I of the enforcement initiative are: Anthony, Dante, Derby, Gerard, Beverly, Kathy, Roberta and Leonard; and all of Wyckoff Avenue from Leonard to Anthony. To date, more than 50 percent of the homeowners in the affected area have already scheduled inspections, according to Building Inspector Joe Mysliwiec. Mysliwiec said that his experience in conducting the inspections has been very positive, as he explains the difference between dumping the water down the drain into the sanitary sewer system vs. connecting to the storm drain system. “Once the people understand the potential cost savings to the borough, they are very cooperative,” he said. The borough council adopted an ordinance in April mandating the inspections to identify illicitly-connected sump pumps. The ordinance was prompted by a need to remedy a growing infiltration problem of clean water going into the sewer system so as to reduce the treatment charges paid to the Northwest Bergen Utilities Authority. Cutting down on the flow to the sewerage treatment plant off Wyckoff Avenue in Waldwick would also ultimately preclude the need for an expansion of the Derby pump facility. The owner of any home or business who declines an internal inspection faces a surcharge of $50 a month as long as the pump is in operation or inspection is denied. The surcharge is charged to the sewer utility bill. If the property owner does not pay the surcharge, a lien would be placed on the property, which must be satisfied before the house can be sold. The ordinance designates the building inspector, borough engineer, borough fire code official and/or a borough sub-code inspector as the persons authorized to “request entrance to any property for the purpose of inspecting, observing, testing and sampling to confirm that there is no sump pump or other prohibited discharge into the sanitary sewer system.” Residents who voluntarily report an illicit connection at their home or business and submit a remediation plan by Residents must arrange inspections under ordinance Dec. 31, will have all the permit, connection and inspection fees waived. After this date, the resident will have to The Friends of White’s Pond Restoration sub-committee expects to meet with the recently appointed mayor’s committee next week to discuss strategy for preserving White’s Pond in Waldwick. The meeting is scheduled for Aug. 9. The Friends want the pond off Hopper Avenue dredged. Residents Andrea Mistretta-Quaranta, John Livesey, Stephanie Quiorolo, Eleanor Kino, John McCrudden and Ray Schmidt are the members of the restoration group. The mayor’s committee includes Borough Administrator Gary Kratz and Councilwoman Anita Bozzo in addition to the mayor. Mistretta-Quaranta is the Friends’ organizer. Speaking during last week’s meeting of the mayor and council, Mistretta-Quaranta said the goal of the first meeting would be to set in motion the administration’s search and hire mission for an experienced grant writer to efficiently find various grant availabilities so that Waldwick may get in line for future grants. She mentioned as examples FEMA’s recently granted $48,000,000 for NJ flood mitigation and other grant possibilities from agencies such as the WPA, Army Corps of Engineers, Mosquito Control Commission and the Department of Environmental Protection. Mistretta-Quaranta said her group would like answers to questions such as whether the administration has researched and inquired from other communities who have been able to accomplish the dredging of their ponds; what monies are currently in Waldwick’s open space budget for 2012, 2013 and beyond, what open space projects are currently slated that can be put on hold to accommodate the more urgent matter of White’s Pond restoration, and whether municipal bonds would be a viable source of funding for a dredging operation. She said the subcommittee also wants to know how many more days the harvester will be working in the lake and how much more debris and silt are expected to be pay all the fees. In either case, the actual cost of remediation will be borne by the property owner. Committee to discuss White’s Pond harvested this September. The borough hopes to preempt dredging the lake by having the harvester pick up weeds, floating tree limbs and other debris and accumulated leaf litter from the lake and applying algaecides as necessary. Mistretta-Quaranta said the group also wants to know the status of efforts to sell the naming rights to the pond, which would offer long lasting and far reaching benefits to banks, corporations and other institutions. “Perhaps private benefactors may reap special recognition as the pond benefits the public beyond Waldwick’s borders,” she told the governing body. She said the Friends would also like to discuss how it, as part of the subcommittee, may assist with grant applications with photos, video and personal accounts of experience with the pond’s deteriorating state. “It’s now known the only solution to saving White’s Pond and extending its life for future Waldwick generations is dredging. The cost to dredge the pond is in the millions of dollars, so a search for dollars besides taxes must begin as soon as possible,” she said. “We as citizens of Waldwick are all lucky to be in the middle of beautiful Bergen County and been able to enjoy the great amenity of White’s Pond. We should take pride in our historic and natural assets with all possible measures for its preservation now,” she concluded. The 7.8-acre lake was last dredged in 1974. The dam was built in the 1930s as a WPA project, and the lake was used as the town’s swimming pool until the new pool was constructed on Hopper Avenue. Another dredging was planned a few years ago when the borough had the opportunity to dump the dredged matter at Overpeck Park free of charge. The $3 million cost of transporting the sediment to Overpeck killed the project. Resident McCrudden questioned that cost, saying it should not be that expensive. Bozzo said the committee would get hard figures on that cost. The Waldwick Lions Club will host its Annual Family Days Carnival Aug. 8 through 13 in the Forum School parking lot off Wyckoff Avenue from 7 to 11 p.m. The carnival will feature rides, food, and games. Tues- Family Days Carnival to begin next week day, Thursday, and Saturday are wristband nights; attendees may purchase the bands to gain unlimited admission to the rides. There will be fireworks on Wednesday and Friday, and a cash prize will be given away on Saturday.