Jack Bredin, a romantic artist and an activist, has an idealistic view of Wesley Lake in this 2015 painting of his. Photo by Rob Bredin. Click to enlarge.
By Paul Goldfinger, MD, Editor @ Blogfinger.net
November 21, 2018.
The New Jersey Green Acres Program was established in 1961 by the State Legislature to acquire land for open space. It is part of the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection. A fund was created, and if a town receives a Green Acre grant, it signs a contract promising to protect and retain those spaces. The towns also promise not to sell the land to developers and to maintain the dual purposes of recreation and conservation.
They are not supposed to let these Green Acres properties become polluted or otherwise harmed, such as when a Green Acre lake is used to collect dirty street water. The Program has a set of rules which the municipalities must follow.
All towns with Green Acres properties must create a ROSI List which enumerates all the properties in town which have been supposedly protected with Green Acres money. Neptune Township has a ROSI List, and on that list is Wesley Lake. ROSI stands for “Recreation and Open Space Inventory.” The ROSI database is maintained by the Green Acres Program.
For those of you who follow Blogfinger, we have posted many articles about the pollution of Wesley Lake. We have attended Wesley Lake Commission meetings, met privately with an official of that group, and went to Trenton recently where we made a presentation regarding this matter.
We believe that Neptune Township has violated the Green Acres agreement which it signed to protect Wesley Lake. It is our position that something must be done about the dirty water which continuously flows into the Lake from Neptune Township, Asbury Park, and least of all, Ocean Grove.
We were contacted by the Department of Consumer Affairs which agreed with Jack’s presentation and suggested that Blogfinger go further with our new-found Trenton connections. The SIAB Commission called and wrote to the Neptune Township Engineer Leanne Hoffman to tell her that “Mr. Bredin accurately described the Wesley lake problem..” We also heard from an engineer at the DEP’s Stormwater Management Unit.
That letter suggested that the Township contact the County engineering and planning departments as well as the NJDEP to learn about programs that might help. It said, “The joint commission created by Asbury Park and Neptune Township to clean up the lake should be an important resource too.” But of course we know how useless that group has been and how the Township has done essentially nothing about the issues.
Today Jack Bredin sent an 8 page detailed report about the Wesley Lake situation to the Director of the “State of New Jersey, Department of Environmental Protection Green Acres Program.” He covered a lot of ground in great detail including telling the Director that Neptune Township is violating its signed agreement.
Jack decided that focusing on the Green Acres program might get some tangible attention coming our way.
If you haven’t been following all this, please click on the link below, a BF piece called: “God makes Cameo Appearance at Chaotic Wesley Lake Commission Meeting.”
PRESERVATION HALL JAZZ BAND For Jack Bredin:
@All commenters above – You are so correct. Thank you for speaking out.
Maybe we should send copies of the correspondence to the Committee.
What if it was in THEIR back yard?
Wonder if the people who ride the pedal boats have any idea? I wonder–do they even notice what the water looks/smells like?
Those two bridges and views should be a showpiece to our community. And it is a humiliating shame they have not been preserved, restored, and managed.
It is benign thoughtlessness, laziness and neglect by the Neptune officials. Nothing less. Like they turn their lazy, squalid eyes around the North End Development issue. As disgusting as a candy wrapper washing out into the Atlantic.
There is a very disturbing problem evolving here dealing with what by law must be set aside for NJDEP Green Acres and what Neptune Township has used to establish the 5 acres needed to create the North End Redevelopment.
Clearly, the Township has, in violation of law, used land and part of Wesley Lake, both established for the public use and protection, to create the needed 5 acres for the North End redevelopment.
There are several attorneys and planners that have had their hand in this mess. The State needs to step in and investigate.
There is clearly criminal intent here on the part of the Township.
One issue of deep concern is why Hurricane Sandy funds were never used to improve the water management of Wesley Lake. It is nearly one foot deep at the north end, polluted,a water management danger, fetid, and downright disgusting. All this money gets poured into the boardwalks, yet Wesley Lake has wasted and rusted border walls, cans, bottles and filth from Asbury Park. It has a water management system from early in the last century!
They have to turn an antiquated wheel at the south end by some poor bastard who must have guilt on his face for dumping cans, bottles, wrappers, and whatever un-godly filth may run into the ocean. It gets neglect a bad name. The wealthy and privileged who used to live on Wesley Lake must be tumbling in their graves, including President Grant’s sister, and the Stouts, whose layers defended Ocean Grove independence. It is a complete outrage.