Despite coming in at a higher price tag than estimated, West Windsor Mayor Shing-Fu Hsueh still plans to pursue the dredging of Grovers Mill Pond this year.##M:[more]##
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, working with the township, plans to dredge the pond to remove the heavy layers of silt that have built up over the past 250 years. The project will be completed by creating multiple underwater pools of 8 to 10 feet in depth which will create refuge areas for fish during the summer and winter.
In November, township engineer James Parvesse told the township council that the state Department of Environmental Protection, which must issue permits for the project, had imposed new requirements increasing the estimated price tag from $1.5 million to $4.6 million.
The township had set aside $500,”000 in matching funds for the project, but now must increase that number to $1.7 million. The remainder of the project costs will be paid for through grants from the federal government.
Hsueh says he intends to seek funds for the pond project in the 2006 budget. “It would be prudent to schedule the cleanup while we have funding assistance available. If we want this to be a pond, then the cleanup is inescapable. If we want it to become a swamp, then we do nothing.”
