West Milford John Lauritano bought his very first home on Brady Street in the Mt. Glen Lake area of West Milford in 2000. He was told at the time that he had the option to join the lake community or not. He chose not to because he really didn’t have a reason to he didn’t have kids at the time and saw no need. For four years that was the situation and it hadn’t changed. Until 2004. That was when the Department of Environmental Protection deemed the dams at the lake hazards and said they had to be replaced or repaired. As many know, replacing or repairing a dam is very costly. In this case, the price tag is $1.6 million. It was shortly after that event that Lauritano received his first letter from the lake association, asking for dues to the community he felt he never belonged to. “The neighbors received dues notices,” said Lauritano “There was no contact before this at all. No newsletters, nothing.” He started researching whether his house was even part of the community back in November 2007 after he received the notice from the lake association that he owed mandatory dues dating back to 2004 and hefty late charges. Prior to that he never received anything from them. Lauritano said the association rewrote the bylaws in 2007 and mandated that all property owners pay dues. He determined after much research that his home is indeed part of the Mt. Glen Lake community. But now with the dam needing repair, the issue becomes even more important. Calls and e-mails by the Messenger to the lake association were not returned. How much will they pay? The situation is dicey to say the least. There are 219 properties in the community, according to the tax assessor’s office, some as far as a mile from the actual lake. Lauritano is one of them. His property sits more than a half mile from the lake itself. He is actually closer to Lindy Lake. The township is putting together a list of the properties and will determine what share of the bill each property owner will be responsible for, according to township attorney Fred Semrau. “Being that it has been determined we are a part of the community, I’ve conceded that,” said Lauritano. “I want the council, the attorney, and the administrator to understand the proximity to the lake. It wouldn’t be fair to break it up evenly. The value of my property is not affected as much as those on the lake.” The township of West Milford co-signed on the loan to fix the two dams in the community through the Department of Environmental Protection’s Dam Safety funding, which is protocol since lake associations don’t have the collateral for the loans themselves. No construction has begun on the dams yet but plans have been submitted. The question that Lauritano and some of his neighbors are focusing on now is just how big a hit they may have to take. “I love West Milford,” said Lauritano, “and it’s hard not to live on a lake here. I’m willing to accept a percentage of the cost to repair these dams. I just want it to be fair.” What are your thoughts on the Mt. Glen Lake dilemma? Go to www.westmilfordmessenger.com and be part of the conversation.