ALLENTOWN: Residents want more say in possible pond sale

By David Kilby, Special Writer
   ALLENTOWN — About a half dozen residents came to a public hearing at the Borough Council meeting Dec. 11 to hear why officials are looking into selling Conines Mill Pond to the state.
   The residents also wanted more opportunity to be involved in the negotiation process.
   At its meeting Nov. 28, Allentown officials expressed their interest in selling the pond to the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, saying the purchasing price and value of the pond would be $209,300, according to the resolution.
   Mayor Stuart Fierstein indicated that the purpose of the hearing Dec. 11 was to listen to public opinion, emphasizing no action toward selling the pond would be taken at the meeting.
   ”For anyone who knows the history of the pond, the waterway flows through numerous counties, and the dam built in Imlaystown is not adjustable, and it’s owned by (the DEP’s Division of Fish and Wildlife), not Upper Freehold,” the mayor said.
   In addition, he said the borough has never owned the dam, but does own the lake. Allentown and Monmouth County are responsible for fixing the road over the lake, however, and the borough has spent a great deal of time and money doing so.
   The mayor said a small town like Allentown, with just over 600 dwellings, can’t fit the bill to maintain the dam. The county doesn’t want to own the dam, either, because it knows it will cost too much to repair and replace, he added.
   The state recognizes Allentown as the owner of the dam and the county as the owner of the road, but Allentown apparently has never accepted ownership of the dam, the mayor said.
   Since the recent reconstruction of the Allentown Lake dam could extend the life of the dam for 40 to 50 years, he said now is the time to try and sell it.
   Maintenance costs for the dam and the lake could cost the borough$250,000 over the next 30 years, he added.
   Due to Hurricane Sandy, a large amount of debris has accumulated in the lake, causing the need for a possible dredging project in the future that would cost another $10,000 approximately, the mayor said.
   If the borough did sell the lake, it would look for an agreement with the state that would allow Allentown to keep maintenance and management rights.
   ”There are a number of issues that the borough isn’t satisfied with that can’t be resolved without a cost,” Mayor Fierstein said regarding the dam and lake. “The borough has a number of responsibilities to provide services and to protect the public, and we feel this is a responsible effort to explore. The time to do it is now. If the dam is 3 to 5 years old, it’ll be harder to get someone to buy into it.”
   Greg Westfall, chairman of the Allentown Environmental Commission, said he has an interest in selling the pond to the state, but added he would appreciate it if the commission and other residents were more involved in the process. He added he didn’t even know the borough was considering selling the pond.
   He also added he’s a little concerned about how the pond may be managed if it’s sold to the state and recommended getting more appraisals of the pond to make sure the price of $209,300 is right.
   Mr. Westfall said he would like to see another public hearing in the near future so the public could be more prepared to offer its suggestions on the matter, adding that, in other towns, lakeside owners have come together to form their own organizations to protect and maintain the lakes they live on.
   ”It’s a moving body of water,” the mayor replied. “There’s more runoff. It’s different than if it was a dormant lake with property owners around it.”
   Clarifying the $209,300 amount for the lake is an estimate and not an appraisal, Mayor Fierstein said the money acquired from the sale of the pond would go directly into the open space budget, not the general budget.
   He said the public hearing was the “first step” in the process of selling the pond, and emphasized the borough is a long way from actually selling the pond at this point.
   ”We’re at the point where we’re trying to consider public concern,” he said. “We feel the public needs to have input and understand the liabilities.”
   He added the borough has no control of the Imlaystown dam upstream and no ownership downstream where Conines Mill Pond and its dam cause a considerable amount of runoff in downstream communities like Bordentown.
   He also said the borough is held accountable for problems that happen downstream, adding “We have a raging river here in Allentown.”
   Ann Garrison, of High Street, came to the hearing to voice her concern, saying that when Allentown was placed on the National Register of Historic Places, no one thought to include the pond.
   She said if the pond were placed on the register as well, “It would have added an extra layer of protection.”
   Betsy Poinsett, of South Main Street, agreed with Mr. Westfall, and said it would be in the borough’s best interest if volunteers like Mr. Westfall were consulted for decisions regarding the pond.
   ”It seems to me like he’s not called upon,” she said.
   Ms. Garrison concurred, saying, “I just feel there’s been a general failure of empathy towards the volunteers.”