PARK RIDGE—The mayor and a councilor provided brief updates Feb. 24 on the status of Mill Pond’s approved referendum to spend up to $5 million to dredge the silt-clogged, polluted man-made pond.
Mayor Keith Misciagna said the borough has a grant that must be spent on “preliminary work” on the dredging by spring, and that engineer John Dunlea of Neglia Engineering is overseeing and managing the project.
Misciagna said the borough has identified a Bergen County developer interested in taking the silt that will be dredged from Mill Pond, which he said could reduce disposal and transportation costs.
In addition, Neglia Engineering is evaluating how sediment removal could affect the structural integrity of the Mill Pond dam, Misciagna said.
“The good news” is the borough is “getting very good at getting grants,” Misciagna said, adding that many are matching grants that require municipal funds to secure a comparable amount. He said the borough has brought in close to $5 million in grant funding over the past five years.
Misciagna said the dredging project, once underway, will make the area around the pond “a mess for a while,” but said the pond and grounds will be “beautiful” once the work is completed.
Councilor Gregory Hoffman said Neglia Engineering has conducted initial soil borings and testing analyses and is now working to complete a structural analysis of the dam, including the potential impact of sediment removal.
“We’ve got great engineers working on this project,” Misciagna told a resident. “We’re in good hands,” he added, noting that Neglia Engineering will likely design and manage the dredging.
Voters previously approved a non-binding referendum to spend up to $5 million on dredging the silt-choked pond, after voters in 2023 defeated a non-binding referendum to spend $15 million.
On the Nov. 4, 2025 ballot, Question 1 asked whether the borough should incur up to $5 million in bond debt to dredge the pond. Voters approved it, 1,694 (55.71%) to 1,347 (44.29%). Borough officials said that level of borrowing would cost the “average” $500,000 homeowner about $101 per year for 25 years.
On Question 2, which asked whether the borough should incur up to $10 million in bond debt, voters said no, 1,615 (55.77%) to 1,281 (44.23%).
On Question 3, which asked whether the borough should dredge the pond at all, voters narrowly backed the idea, 1,443 (52.4%) to 1,311 (47.6%).
Of Park Ridge’s 7,314 registered voters, 4,473 cast ballots on Nov. 4, a turnout of 61.16%.
Because the referendum questions appeared on the second page of the ballot, not every voter weighed in on the non-binding questions. While the outcome was non-binding, officials generally follow the will of the majority of local voters.