Wyckoff December 11, 2013 THE VILLADOM TIMES I • Page 3 Maple Lake purchase on back burner for time being by John Koster The Wyckoff Township Committee indicated that a dis- agreement about the fair market value of the Maple Lake property had stalled negotiations to buy the potential recre- ational site for the immediate future. “This will be put on the remote back burner from now on,” said Mayor Rudy Boonstra. The mayor was summing up the consensus of the town- ship committee after the members examined correspon- dence between Wyckoff Attorney Rob Landel and John A. Schepisi of Englewood Cliffs, the attorney for the Sarno family, which owns the Maple Lake site. The property, once a popular recreational area, is now disused and some- what rusticated. “As you are aware, the township will lose its Bergen County Open Space Grant of $1,375,000 if the same is not utilized by Dec. 20, 2013,” Landel wrote to the Sarno family attorney on Nov. 19 -- a letter which, he said last week, has not yet prompted an agreement. “In addition, the township will lose its $450,000 Green Acres grant if the same is not utilized by March 1, 2014. The township will be losing the Bergen County Open Space Grant within the next few weeks.” Landel, representing Wyckoff, had made an offer in August, he said, for the total amount set forth in the com- bined grants, which he said exceeded the appraised value of the land, regarded as not suited for construction due to wetlands issues. “In addition, such amount also exceeds the value which your client set forth, argued, and ultimately secured in connection with their tax appeal for the subject property,” Landel wrote. Schepisi reportedly said Wyckoff’s offer was below fair market value and Landel wrote back to ask what fair market value was considered to be. “As I’m sure you can appreciate, the township commit- tee has an obligation and responsibility to act in the best interest of the residents,” Landel wrote. “The committee cannot ignore their fiduciary responsibilities and therefore, the township is not in a position to pay more than the fair market value for the property...when formulating Wyck- off’s offer, both the value reflected by the township’s certi- fied appraiser and the value argued by your client as part of (continued on page 29)