MOUNT ARLINGTON — It’s a bit of a gamble. Backs against the wall, the Lake Hopatcong Commission has decided to go ahead and invest a few of its remaining dollars so it can begin this season’s weed harvesting in June. The commission last week voted to spend $12,000 to put men in the lake some time in the middle...
Aitor Ostolaza, a worker for the Mount Arlington Department of Public Works, unloads weeds removed along Lake Hopatcong in Mount Arlington, in this file photo.MOUNT ARLINGTON — It’s a bit of a gamble. Backs against the wall, the Lake Hopatcong Commission has decided to go ahead and invest a few of its remaining dollars so it can begin this season’s weed harvesting in June.
The commission last week voted to spend $12,000 to put men in the lake some time in the middle of next month. That’s on top of $20,000 that was authorized in April to repair and ready the harvesters for action.
This leaves the commission with about $60,000 in its till, which could run out before the end of the year if the state fails to step in.
But there really is no other choice, said Russ Felter, Jefferson mayor and chair of the Lake Hopatcong Commission.
"We have got to start harvesting," he said. "We understand that it is a risk. We’re going to be working on a shoestring but we are kind of used to that."
The commission was given $3 million of start-up money in 2001, though funding has been a serious concern almost from the beginning.
By 2003, the commission had to furlough its employees for several weeks.
Some harvesting has been done each year, but gone are the days when the commission had a full-time staff at its disposal. Last year, harvesting didn’t begin until July.
This year, the commission will employ its longtime foreman Michael Calderio and four other seasonal employees.
"We’ll do what we can," Felter said.
The commission submitted its budget request to the state in December, a yearly ritual that several commissioners have described as frustrating and more pro forma than productive. They requested $414,000 — $245,000 less than last year. Their request was acknowledged but they have not heard if it has been accepted, Felter said. Last year’s was not.
Weed harvesting is one of the commission’s most important — and certainly most visible — tasks. It is good for swimmers and boaters, good for businesses and good for the lake’s ecology. Left unattended, the weeds can snarl boat propellers and make for some slimy swimming.
State Sen. Anthony Bucco (R-Morris) has for years tried to coax the legislature into providing a permanent source of funding. He has introduced legislation to that effect but has not had any luck.
"We’re continuing our best efforts to create a consistent funding source for the Commission," Bucco said in an e-mail. "We’ve met with the DEP Commissioner and the Governor, and (are) proud of the bi-partisan support that has been built for our bill."
But that does not assure its passage.
Gov. Chris Christie at a March town hall meeting in Hopatcong said he would consider restoring state aid. But tomorrow marks the unofficial start of his second summer as governor, and there are still no dollars floating in from Trenton.
"We’re not asking for a zillion dollars," Felter said. "We’re keeping our fingers crossed. That’s all we can do."