Lake dredging to begin

MANALAPAN — Municipal officials have announced that dredging and cleanup work will begin at Holiday Lake, Pease Road, on or about April 2. The lake is within the Holiday Park residential development.

To kick off the project, the Manalapanbased Boy Scout and Girl Scout troops who participate in the township’s Community Service Committee have volunteered their time to build park benches and picnic tables for the park beautification project. The building project took place on March 28.

“This was a wonderful community project that brought together all of the scout crews to enhance the rehabilitation” Mayor Richard Klauber said.

“The resources of our volunteers are invaluable. In these troubling times it is wonderful to see our scouts continue to give back to their community. These boys and girls have truly set the example for all to follow and demonstrate what can be achieved when we come together as a community. I look forward to continuing our partnership in the future,” Klauber added.

According to a press release from the township, the Community Service Committee was created by Committeewoman Michelle Roth in 2006 in response to the frustrations felt by the scouting community to the obstacles they encountered whenever they tried to put forth a project in Manalapan.

“The intent of this committee was to streamline the process for the scouts to present and complete their Eagle Scout and Gold Award projects in a timely manner. This committee, which meets every few weeks, has successfully revitalized the scouts’ interest in focusing on projects in Manalapan,” Roth said.

The township now maintains a list of projects that are available for any community organization or individual interested in enhancing the amenities and beautification of Manalapan.

In addressing the need for the Holiday Lake dredging project, Roth said, “This park has been an eyesore and an embarrassment for years. The lake had been dredged well over a decade ago, only to refill with silt and leaves and fall into a state of disrepair. I asked the township engineer to create a design that would address and correct the problem permanently.

“A sluice box was designed, which will trap the silt and leaves. This will be easily cleaned out on a regular basis. In order to help keep the lake clean we are also asking residents who live upstream to clean up leaves on their property and properly dispose of them during leaf cleanup periods so they don’t continue to make their way into the lake and get trapped there,” Roth said.

The revitalized park that surrounds the lake will have a walking trail around the lake with the scout-built benches placed at different locations. The picnic benches will all be on the Blenheim Road side of the park, close to the lake.

The parking lot on Pease Road will be repaved and a solar powered aerator will be installed in the center of the lake. The banks will also be stabilized with plantings. Once the project is completed, the state has agreed to stock the lake with fish, according to the press release.

The first step in this process will be to lower the water, which is scheduled to start during the first few days of April and will take about one week to complete. Once the lowering is completed, the dredging operations will begin.

The Monmouth County Mosquito Commission is going to mobilize its long-reach excavator to the site while the dewatering is occurring. Township officials anticipate the project will be completed by the summer.