Friday, October 19, 2012
Termination notice submitted Wednesday, but chairman says operations will continue.
Although the Lake Hopatcong Commission has been denied funds by the state, chairman of the commission and Jefferson Mayor Russell Felter said he still sees the commission operating. At Wednesday night's meeting in Mount Arlington, Felter said the commission submitted a termination notice to commission administrator Donna Macalle-Holly that is effective on Dec. 21. He said, however, that because it's a state commission, the termination won't cease operations, and instead would terminate the employees. "We're not quite sure where we're going to go, but we're going to have to do some volunteer things," he said. "We're really just trying to feel our way through the process here." Felter said there are still more responsibilities, including …
Tuesday, October 9, 2012
Lake needs money after funding bill stalled by senate.
When it comes to how to fund work on Lake Hopatcong now that Bill S495 is being held up by the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee, many ideas are being floated around. However, the one that seems to be the least popular is user fees. The lake stands to lose about $150,000 if the bill is not passed, which Gov. Chris Christie has promised to veto unless a tax cut is instituted. While the money has to be made up somewhere, most agree that user fees are not the anwer. “We’ve discussed user fees before, and they won’t fly,” Lake Hopatcong Commission chairman Russ Felter said. “People see them like another tax, and they don’t want to pay any more taxes.” “You can call them anything you want, but user fees are a tax,” Ray Fernandez, owner…
Wednesday, October 3, 2012
LHC says it needs passage of Bill S 495.
If the state government does not pass Bill S 495 that would provide $150,000 to maintain Lake Hopatcong, the Lake Hopatcong Commission would be “out of money by the end of the year,” according to its chairman Russell Felter. Senator Anthony Bucco said he held the bill in the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee on Monday. “The problem is that I felt that the Democrats were going to kill the bill. So rather than have it voted down, I held it, because if it got voted down I would have to start all over again with a new bill,” Bucco said. “This is strictly a political move by the Democrats,” he continued. “They are annoyed at the governor because he told them he wouldn’t pass any spending bills unless they passed his tax cut legislation…
Monday, September 17, 2012
Tensions run high during discussions at commission meeting.
Drawdowns of Lake Hopatcong—both the annual 26-inch and the five-year 60-inch—weighed heavily on the minds of attendees of the Lake Hopatcong Commission meeting on Monday night. There were mixed opinions among the attendees, and an assurance from the commission that no final decision has been made as of yet. The annual drawdown begins each year in mid-November and continues until mid-December, with about an inch a day removed until the lake reaches a depth of about six feet, according to the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). Every five years, five feet of water is removed from the lake. The next five-foot drawdown is scheduled for 2013. Tim Clancy, a Hopatcong resident and Knee Deep Club member, said he didn’t understand how …
Wednesday, August 22, 2012
Lake Hopatcong Commission receives mid-year water quality statistics.
While last year’s mild winter may have made residents of the Lake Hopatcong area happy, it may not have been the best thing for the lake itself, as clarity has suffered, according to Princeton Hydro, LLC’s mid-year water quality report. Fred Lubnow, Ph.D. presented the findings to the Lake Hopatcong Commission at its meeting earlier this week. “Water clarity in the lake was slightly lower in July,” Lubnow said. “The mild winter and somewhat dry spring really didn’t help the lake.” Lubnow explained that cold winters are important to kill organisms in the lake. “Snow is important too, because snow pack kills off vegetation,” he added. The mild winter and warm spring and summer further led to the development of free-floating algae. Lubnow …
Tuesday, August 21, 2012
Administrator's job, future of commission uncertain without more funding.
- GOVERNMENT
- Sue Toth
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Tuesday, August 21, 2012
The Lake Hopatcong Commission (LHC) is running out of money to keep itself afloat, to the point where LHC administrator Donna Macalle-Holly won’t be employed beyond the end of this year without an infusion of cash. The situation isn’t sitting well with the commissioners or the people who use the lake; however, the two groups appear to be at odds as to how to fix it. At Monday night’s LHC meeting, Hopatcong resident Tim Clancy questioned the commissioners on a letter he’d written to them asking them to go to their individual towns to request funds to pay Macalle-Holly’s salary. “Based on all the taxes we pay, it would take just pennies of that salary to keep the commission a viable entity by keeping its administrator on board,” Clancy said…
Monday, August 20, 2012
More collected this year to date than all of last season.
- GOVERNMENT
- Sue Toth
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Monday, August 20, 2012
Weed harvesting on Lake Hopatcong is ahead of schedule for the summer season, and is already ahead of what was collected for all of last year, according to Steve Ellis, regional superintendent of the state's northern parks. He reported to the Lake Hopatcong Commission at its meeting on Monday night. “We’ve collected 1,300 cubic yards of biomass this season, when we collected only 1,100 cubic yards all of last year,” Ellis said. The service is currently running four harvesters, two dump trucks and two conveyors, and has gone from three to six employees running the machinery. “So far the equipment has been running pretty well,” Ellis added. “There have been a few problems with gas line breaks, belt failures, things like that.” The next areas…
Thursday, July 26, 2012
Béla Szigethy might even donate more to help fund foundation aimed at preserving the lake.
- NEWS
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Thursday, July 26, 2012
NJ.com reports a Lake Hopatcong summer homeowner donated $100,000 to start the Lake Hopatcong Foundation, a nonprofit aimed at preserving the lake. Béla Szigethy, who expects to donate more before the end of 2012, hopes to improve the lake via mapping, weed killing and water-quality testing, the report said. Szigethy, co-owner of a New York-based private equity firm, said he hopes to help the cash-strapped Lake Hopatcong Commission, according to the report. "While it would be great if the lake were totally cared for by its owner, the state of New Jersey, the fact is that the state’s funds are limited," said Szigethy to NJ.com. "The foundation can help carry out some of the many good projects that the state or the Lake Hopatcong Commission …
Monday, July 16, 2012
Almost a quarter more weeds have been harvested from water in 2012 than during same time period in 2011, state says.
- NEWS
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Monday, July 16, 2012
The weeds on Lake Hopatcong could be less plentiful as the summer wears on than they were in 2011. Steve Ellis, regional superintendent of the state's northern parks, said Monday that almost a quarter more weeds (191 cubic feet) were harvested between July 9-16 than during the same period (156) in 2011. "A little bit ahead of the curve," Ellis said at the Lake Hopatcong Commission meeting. Ellis said the seven-member harvest team has already cleared the River Styx and Cresent Cove areas. It will soon turn its attention toward the North Island, Brant and Sherman sections, he said. The team has been working with three harvesters, but expects to soon have a fourth operational, Ellis said. Despite the progress, there was one hurdle the state, …
Lake Hopatcong Commission Chairman Russel Felter said he doesn't think the state will come through in the end.
- NEWS
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Monday, July 16, 2012
The Lake Hopatcong Commission has gotten "frustrated" with the state over lack of communication regarding funding for the cash-strapped commission, Chairman Russell Felter said after Monday night's meeting in Hopatcong. "We're kind of getting frustrated," said Felter, Jefferson's mayor. "We keep getting hope and no answers." The hope to which Felter was referring came in February when the state Sentate Environmental and Energy Committee approved a bill (S-495) that help the commission fund projects aimed at preserving and cleaning the lake. The money, which would come from state pleasure boat registration fees, would go into a newly created "Lake Hopatcong Fund." But the bill hasn't moved since, Felter said. In fact, he said the commission…
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