Posted on May 8, 2018
By Dawn Miller, TAPinto.net
Back in 1913, the borough was considered a summer vacation destination thanks to the opening of a health camp along the shores of Spotswood Lake. Today, Spotswood Lake is of course known as Devoe Lake and was actually purchased in 1930 from the U.S. Tobacco Co. for $500. Soon afterwards the lake was improved via a Works Process Administration Project, which was a part of President Roosevelt’s New Deal that was created to form more jobs for Americans.
Since its heyday, Devoe Lake has fallen on hard times as longtime borough residents are aware. Improving it was one of Mayor Ed Seely’s goals when he was elected to office in November of 2016. On May 3, Seely held a lakeside meeting to discuss possible strategies and potential funding options for restoring Devoe Lake.
Joining Seely for the meeting were Senator Linda Greenstein, Assemblyman Wayne DeAngelo, Assemblyman Dan Benson, Spotswood OEM Coordinator and Councilman Jose Rivera, Spotswood Borough Business Administrator Dawn McDonald, Spotswood Public Works Director John Mayor and Middlesex County OEM Deputy Coordinator John Ferguson. Representatives from the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection Division of Land Use and Local Government Assistance were on hand as well.
The borough does have approval for a dredging permit from the NJDEP. However, the permit to dredge the lake expires in April of 2023.
“Dredging will remove excess sediment and increase the depth of the lake,” McDonald explained. “The project is very expensive and cost prohibitive for borough taxpayers, which is why Mayor Seely is seeking financial support from federal and state grants.”
The borough is also trying to garner support from neighboring municipalities upstream and downstream from Devoe Lake for the dredging and overall improvement process.
“The meeting was a strategy session to determine how to raise awareness on a regional level and brainstorm ideas for funding mechanisms,” McDonald said.
Source: TAPinto.net
