PARK RIDGE—Borough officials have requested both federal and state funding — up to $12 million — to help subsidize the escalating cost of dredging historic Mill Pond, home to the town’s first hydroelectric plant, constructed in the early 20th century.
Last week, officials learned that State Sen. Holly Schepisi (R-39) said she had submitted a $12 million state budget request for the borough to conduct a dredging of Mill Pond, also known as Electric Lake.
Mayor Keith Misciagna said he hoped dredging the pond, a body of water used mainly for recreation, including fishing, could begin in 2024. “If need be, I am willing to include a referendum this November to get public input and support for the project. This is a project that I fully endorse getting done as soon as possible.”
Miscianga is running for re-election. He faces a challenge from Republican candidate Liza M. Falato-Lau.
Schepisi, a Republican from River Vale, is counsel to the Park Ridge utility board (the utility has nothing to do with the dredging of the pond.) She’s running for re-election to the Senate, facing Democratic challenger Jodi Murphy, a former Westwood councilmember.
Miscianga told Pascack Press, “The council chose not to put any funding in the budget this year. As you know, the mayor unfortunately does not get to vote on the town’s budget.”
In an email message to residents, Misciagna said, “Earlier this year we submitted our application requesting funds from Congressman [Josh] Gottheimer’s [D-5] office to potentially obtain funds for the dredging of Electric Lake by applying for the FY 2024 Community Project Funding Request. We also put in a budget request to our state senator, Holly Schepisi, requesting $12,000,000 for our dredging project.”
He said officials were not sure funding would be included in the state budget despite the request. He said the last time Mill Pond was dredged was approximately 1979.
“The proposed project will have the dual benefit of reducing the sediment and debris that is polluting the pond to improve water quality and allow for wildlife to flourish, restoring the pond as a prime location for recreational trips and fishing. The request includes the construction costs, permit fee costs and anticipated design/construction management costs, which encompasses the entire project costs. We look forward to working with everyone on obtaining the necessary funding to complete the project,” emailed the mayor.
“We have been investing in previous years to get some engineering, testing and planning done so the project is now considered shovel-ready for grant and funding purposes. Ideally we can obtain state funding. Even matching funding would be extremely helpful as I believe this project is long overdue,” Misciagna told Pascack Press.
He added, “If and when the funding becomes available the project is estimated to take approximately one year. The silt must be dredged and dried before being transported. Preliminary estimates are approximately 2,000 truckloads to be removed,” he told us.
Misciagna noted earlier this year, Gottheimer was instrumental in “clawing back” [from what Gottheimer calls ‘moocher states’] $3.4 million in federal funds for the borough water treatment facility.
“This (was) the largest federal allotment to Park Ridge ever and will insure our water supply is safe for generations to come. We are grateful for the help,” Misciagna emailed residents.
Officials said Mill Pond has a rich history within Park Ridge. It originally served as the home to a hydroelectric plant constructed in 1906, allowing the borough to be the first town in Bergen County to generate its own electricity, and later to expand more rapidly to nearby towns.
In 1926, the water turbine at Mill Pond was serviced to turn a water pump located in a well drilled onsite.
In 1928, however, the water turbine was retired and an electric motor was installed to perform pumping operations. Since then the lake has been used only for recreational purposes such as fishing and non-power boating, officials noted.
Editor’s note: We have received letters to the editor, including from local scouts, urging action on the issue.