July 27, 2011 THE VILLADOM TIMES IV • Page 7 Mahwah Council awards Winters Pond dredging contract by Frank J. McMahon The Mahwah Township Council has awarded a $234,026 contract to the Manahawkin firm of KG Marine Contracting to dredge Winters Pond on East Ramapo Avenue and remove about 18,000 cubic yards of silt from the bottom of the pond. Kevin Boswell, the township engineer, told the council that the contractor’s references were all checked and all the comments they received were positive and the plan has been approved by the Orange and Rockland Electric Company, which has high tension wires strung over a portion of the pond. Brian Campion, the township administrator, added that there will be a meeting with the residents who live adjacent to the pond as soon as the contract is awarded. The work will begin in August, and the dredging will take about a month or so to complete, so the work should be completed in September. The stockpiled soil will be left to dry out and ultimately exported out of the area by the end of the year. Several residents complained to the council about the flooding of their properties after recent heavy rain storms. While Boswell did not say the dredging would stop that flooding, he said dredging is the right thing to do to maintain the health of the pond and that it would provide some benefit to the flooding problem. Boswell emphasized that the area is in a very wet cycle, the groundwater elevation is very high, and there is a lot of flooding in the area that has not been seen in a decade. “This will help the situation,” Boswell said, “and it’s the right thing to do because if the pond became a swamp that would lead to additional flooding.” Asked what needs to be done to stop the flooding, Boswell explained that the Masonicus Brook needs to be improved down to the Ramapo River to allow it to move downstream without flooding farther downstream and information about the Masonicus Brook has been provided to the Federal Emergency Management Administration for inclusion in the agency’s updated flood insurance rate maps. “We are making every effort we can to bring relief to the residents,” Boswell said, noting that Congressman Scott Garrett has also been contacted about the flooding problem in Mahwah. The township has been trying to arrange the dredging of the pond since 2007, when Boswell was asked to apply for related permits and a plan was developed. The permits were obtained from the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, and the Bergen County Mosquito Commission was ready to start the dredging in 2009 at no cost to the township. That work was stopped, however, when the Orange and Rockland Electric Company realized that the heavy equipment that was to be used to dredge the pond might interfere with their electric transmission lines which are about 40 feet above the water level. The mosquito commission also became concerned about the liability involved if their large equipment contacted those high tension electric wires. The mosquito commission amended its plans to eliminate the use of the long reach equipment, and the work was expected to resume in September 2009, but that plan was abandoned when the commission realized that it is often called to other county projects and, therefore, it could not make the commitment the twoyear project would require. The township then decided to use a private contractor to handle the dredging to give the township more control over the project and allow it to be completed more quickly. The Mahwah American Legion Brems, Hetzel, Meester Memorial Post 531 invites area veterans to join the post. Veterans, male and female, whether they served in combat or during peacetime are welcome. American Legions provide assistance with the Veterans Administration, financial aid in times of need, sponsorship of local charities and organizations, and fellowship and camaraderie. Post 531, activated in 2008, was named for Patrick Brems, Class of 1965 of Ramsey High School; Norman American Legion seeks new members Hetzek, Class of 1966 and Everett Meester, Class of 1965, both of Mahwah High School. All three men were killed in action during the Vietnam War. The Mahwah post meets on the third Thursday of the month at 7:30 p.m. in the downstairs meeting room of the Mahwah Museum, 201 Franklin Turnpike. For more information contact Membership Chairman Ralph Coviello at (201) 529-4622 or e-mail ralphkc2bcy@aol.com.