June 5, 2013 THE VILLADOM TIMES III • Page 7 Waldwick The second phase of the Ho-Ho-Kus Brook stabilization project in Waldwick will be funded with a federal grant. The borough has been awarded $80,437.50 from the Emergency Watershed Protection Program of the United States Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conserva- Town gets grant for second phase of brook cleanup tion Service to repair the damage caused by hurricanes Irene and Sandy. As per the grant’s guidelines, the award will cover 75 percent of the $97,500 estimated total cost of the project, with the borough committed to providing the remaining 25 percent. The program provides funding to municipal governments to address watershed impairments created by natural disasters that “pose imminent threats to lives and property.” Waldwick plans to use the moneys to remove from the brook several additional sandbars north of the Wyckoff Avenue bridge in the area of the Riverside Condominiums. The sandbars, which had built up over time, were exacerbated by Hurricane Sandy, according to Borough Administrator Gary Kratz. He said removing the sandbars will eliminate impediments to the flow of water, which can otherwise back up and lead to flooding. Work on the first phase of the project was completed last month at a bid price of $132,000, well below estimates. That phase included stabilizing the east bank of the brook with rip-rap in the area of Dow Avenue, where the brook follows an s-path and two major sections had been washed out. Cleaning and de-snagging of the stream channel at the flood-prone Wyckoff Avenue bridge, including sandbar removal, were also included. The borough found out about the Natural Resources Conservation Service grant too late to apply for relief from Hurricane Irene’s damage in 2011, but was ready to apply when Sandy hit in October, 2012. Representatives from the agency surveyed the site and indicated that the work on the brook would be an eligible project. Professional advice The Waldwick Public Library recently hosted Pruning Pointers to Make You Look Like a Pro, a special presentation by Borst Landscape & Design in Allendale. The featured speakers Bob Malgieri and Dave Pilkington are pictured with Waldwick Library Director Lori-Ann Quinn. (Photo courtesy of The DSM Group.)