Funding help

Envisioned Victor Crowell Park (VCP) improvements are estimated to cost $5 million with dredging potentially adding tens of millions more depending on the level of contamination in the sediment removed.

Representatives from a consulting firm and borough officials discussed a proposed VCP master plan on Tuesday, Oct. 7 during a Parks Improvement Committee meeting held at the Ronald S. Dobies municipal building. About 30 people were in the audience.

The session was the third in a series of four VCP master plan meetings. As in the two previous sessions, officials said the plan would be used to apply for county and state park improvement funding.

“The idea is to get funding through grants,” said Mayor Jack Mikolajczyk. Grants, the mayor noted, are how large-scale projects like the VCP upgrades typically get funded “unless you’ve got deep pockets.”

The master plan calls for enhancements to the park’s entrance and annex building, including added parking, relocation of the 9-11 memorial and more picnic area.

The parks’s trademark green foot bridge would be maintained, a four- to five-foot wide sidewalk along Oak Drive added, a nature trail created on the water’s edge and an overlook plaza placed on what is commonly called the sledding hill. A boardwalk is envisioned on the western edge of VCP’s Creighton Lake.

While the improvements themselves are estimated at $5 million, reps from Suburban Consulting Engineers (SCE), a Flanders-based firm retained by the parks committee, said waterway dredging costs could drive the total price higher by roughly $10 to $40 million.

The degree of contamination in the dredged sediment would determine the final cost. Cleaner sediment is less costly to dispose of than contaminated material.

Officials discussed whether park improvements could also address the flooding that affects homes near Creighton Lake during severe rain storms.

“If we have the opportunity, we should look at alleviating any potential damage to properties,” said Rich Thomasey, a parks committee member.

But Joseph Perello, an SCE vice president, said flooding is spurred by stormwater runoff and that most of what affects the VCP area during large storms comes from elsewhere. 

“You can’t stop water flowing there from other areas,” he said. “That has to be controlled almost off-site.”

Dredging, however, would increase Creighton Lake’s ability to hold water, Perello noted. He also advised the borough to seek a dam adjustment through the state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and to drain the lake when large-scale rain storms are forecast.

Those steps would “reduce” flooding, Perello said, but not eliminate it. “You will never, ever eliminate flooding,” he added. “It is a concern everywhere in the state of New Jersey.”

Department of Public Works Supervisor Len Vidal noted a couple snags inherent in Perello’s suggestion to reduce Creighton Lake’s water level for big storms.

Once the lake’s valve is opened, Vidal said he fears that its age could make it difficult to close when a storm is over. Vidal added that a DEP permit would be required each time the borough wanted to open the valve.

Officials said the master plan discussed at the meeting will be uploaded to the municipal website. 

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