West Milford supports dam loan application
West Milford. The township is voted to support a loan application by the Farm Crest Acres Association to make repairs at the Upper Lake Crest Lake Dam and Lower Crest Lake Dam in the Farm Crest Acres Community.
| 28 Dec 2021 | 02:23
An additional state loan is needed for the dam restoration project at Farm Crest Acres. Township of West Milford officials backed the request with residents of the Farm Crest community to pay the bills through home owner assessments. (
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Mayor Michele Dale and the Township of West Milford Council have endorsed an application by the Farm Crest Acres Association, Inc. for an additional New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection loan to effectuate dam repairs at the Upper Crest Lake Dam and Lower Crest Lake Dam in the Farm Crest Acres community of homes in Oak Ridge.
No expenditure of township money is involved.
The private association is the operator of two dams located on Farm Crest Lake (Upper Crest Lake Dam and Lower Crest Lake Dam.) Both dams were determined to need repair, improvement and rehabilitation, based upon engineering investigations.
A NJDEP Dam Safety Section Dam Restoration Loan offers loans to private entities to effectuate such needed dam repairs with the condition that the municipality where the dam is located sign a loan agreement as co-borrower. The Association already has secured Dam Restoration Loans of $600,000 for the Upper Crest Lake Dam and $480,000 for Lower Crest Lake Dam which township officials signed for the township being co-borrower.
The initial loan does not fully cover the expected cost of the required dam repairs and an additional $100,000 is estimated to be required in order to fully cover the expected cost. The association wants to make a second application to the NJDEP loan funding program to effectuate the full scope of the required dam repairs. The township officials see the repair, improvement and rehabilitation of both dams and execution of the NJDEP loans as being in the best interests of the township residents.
The latest township governing body decision gives the mayor and township clerk the authority to execute the NJDEP loan agreement if the Association presents a co-borrower agreement acceptable to the township.
