WOODCLIFF LAKE—The long-awaited Woodcliff Lake Reservoir Nature Trail — a 1.5-mile ribbon of walking path along the reservoir’s eastern boundary — is likely to open by Earth Day, April 22, 2023, said a water utility spokesperson.
Officials from three partner municipalities concurred.
The nature trail has been talked about, argued over, and promised for a decade, and the last several years local officials, including Woodcliff Lake Mayor Carlos Rendo, have promised area residents and hikers that the trail would be a reality soon, despite delays caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Debra Vial, spokesperson for Veolia North America, the property’s owner, told Pascack Press on Dec. 8, “We are ready to go on our end. We had a successful meeting with representatives from all three municipalities on Wednesday [Dec. 7] and we are all working toward opening this trail next April for Earth Day.”
She said, “The municipalities are committed to the work they need to do for the trail and we are committed to working with them. We are very much looking forward to having this trail open for residents to enjoy.”
Vial and Veolia officials met with the mayors of Hillsdale and Park Ridge, and councilwoman Jennifer Margolis from Woodcliff Lake, plus each town’s business administrator.
Park Ridge Mayor Keith Misciagna told Pascack Press, “This project has been in the works for quite some time but several obstacles such as the pandemic, funding and input from all the various professionals and official approval from state agencies delayed it. I understand that all of those issues are now complete.”
He said, “All three boroughs, along with Veolia personnel, have never given up on moving this long awaited project to completion and it finally looks like we will soon open the gates to this hidden gem that will provide beautiful open space that this area is presently lacking but is so greatly needed.”
Margolis detailed some last-minute items that must be ironed out between Veolia and the towns.
“A revised agreement needs to be given to the municipalities and then it has to be signed. The walkway will require some clearing and maintenance in certain areas,” she said.
She added, “Some security arrangements have to be made in regards to access, etc. It does look like we are in the home stretch after many years.”
Hillsdale Mayor John Ruocco said the mayors’ plan to convene again in January to discuss a revised agreement required to complete the trail.
He said, “Funding needs to be secured with the approval of respective governing bodies, even if that means proceeding without the benefit of grants from the state. Approval by the governing bodies is assumed given the great interest from all concerned to make the trail a reality.”
And he said, “Some details regarding the security gates and camera, and clearing of the trail need to be confirmed, and that is expected to occur in January.”
Although Park Ridge and Woodcliff Lake received $15,000 state grants to improve the proposed nature trail’s pathways, Hillsdale has not yet received similar funding. Its engineer has been monitoring the state program so the borough can apply when a new round of grant funding opens.
Since an initial agreement was signed by the mayors and Suez water (now Veolia) in 2019, the utility and towns had been sparring over who was responsible for project delays.
In June 2021, Vial told us that the towns needed to sign off on a new “license agreement” that addressed items such as gates to the trail, security cameras, trail signage, maintenance, handling of trail litter, and required easements to access the trail. At that point, Rendo and other mayors appeared unaware that a new agreement was required.
The trail was approved by the state’s Watershed Property Review Board in 2019, including a requirement for specific property easements and municipal requirements.
Veolia manages surface water reservoirs in North Jersey and New York, including Oradell Reservoir, that serve 1.2 million residents, including 860,000 residents in Bergen and Hudson counties.
Misciagna said, “Park Ridge committed to our share of the necessary funding to complete the trail and received a grant to help. To my knowledge all three boroughs and Veolia are ready to get this done. I gave up predicting an opening date a few years ago but we are hoping for springtime.”
Margolis added, “We are hopeful that in 2023 the gates will be opened so we will all be able to enjoy this long-overdue open space. This unique partnership between the three municipalities and Veolia will create a brand-new nature trail that will let us seamlessly enjoy our beautiful surroundings as well as provide access to our neighboring communities and businesses.”