Rambaut Dam Financing Up for Further Talks

A majority of the homeowners who reside around Rambaut Lake are expected to be in attendance at a meeting Tuesday night to discuss the financing of dam repairs.

Township officials and Lakeview Drive resident Tom Buda said at least 15 of the 21 residents around the lake are expected to take part in the session, which will be the third hearing to discuss the future of the dam, whose precarious state leaves homeowners open to the possibility of fines by the Department of Environmental Protection.

Township officials are hoping to talk about the possibility of reforming a defunct lake association, such as the entity that once collected dues and managed the 7.5-acre body of water off West Shore Drive.

"The purpose (of the meeting) is to see if we can garner enough interest among the residents to reform a viable lake association again," Mayor Rudy Boonstra said.

Currently, the homeowners who once constituted the defunct Beekmere Inc. are voluntarily paying dues for lake upkeep but don't have the funds to finance much-needed repairs on their own or the standing to achieve outside financing. Township Committee members have said they would help acquire the funds by possibly co-signing a loan, with a lien placed on homeowners' residences to ensure repayment.

However, officials contend that a viable lake association is necessary for the homeowners to be granted a loan, even with township assistance.

"The committee agrees that the Beekmere homeowners need to form an association and formalize their relationship," Committeeman Chris DePhillips said.

It's "easier to accomplish" a loan with a "viable ownership entity" such as an association, Boonstra said.

Buda, who has been a vocal proponent of the Rambaut homeowners' cause, was skeptical of the need to reform a lake association.

"If we were to form Beekmere on our own, and had 15 to 20 members, we probably could get a loan approved without the town's assistance," he said. "The backing would be the value of our homes."

However, Buda said he's "happy to get to first base" with the township on the financing question and hopes "second base" will mean "participation from the homeowners on the majority level."

Ensuring near-majority attendance was crucial to holding a third session, as only nine lakefront homeowners were present at the last session in June. Furthermore, not all of those in attendance were sold on the idea of voluntarily accepting the responsibility of a loan, which homeowners have said can happen even if not all residents around the lake agree to shoulder the cost. However, at least a majority of the residents would have to agree to the idea for it to be viable, homeowners have said.

A meeting scheduled for August was canceled after phone calls and letters by the township administration revealed the possibility of low turnout. However, the township and Rambaut homeowners have since been in contact with the neighbors around the lake, and Buda is expecting 75 to 80 percent attendance.

"There's a lot to discuss," he said. "Hopefully, we'll all be in a better position to understand which way the wind is blowing after the meeting."

Township officials are hopeful that progress can be made Tuesday night and are anxious to see if a consensus can be realized among the majority of homeowners. However, they're not sure how the situation will proceed "unless the Beekmere homeowners organize," DePhillips said.

The hearings stem from dismissed litigation filed by the former Beekmere homeowners that hoped to compel the larger surrounding community, known as Allison Acres, to contribute to lake upkeep, which has been on a voluntary basis for years. 

The township, which also had been named in the lawsuit, decided that the lull following litigation was a good time to step in and see if officials could help to amicably negotiate a solution to the homeowners' problems.

Dated engineering reports state that the dam could be breached in the event of a 500-year flood, with estimates ranging from $650,000 to more than $1 million for dam work.

Meanwhile, the state DEP has threatened to fine the homeowners or even breach the dam if repairs aren't made and if necessary inspection reports aren't filed with the state.

The first hearing in the spring largely established that there was a consensus among Wyckoff residents that something had to be done to preserve the lake for future generations. The second hearing discussed the possibility of a loan, but township officials are wary of saddling the general community or Allison Acres community with any mandatory tax assessment or lien to finance repairs. Instead, they've stressed that the homeowners must voluntarily agree to shoulder the monetary load and have resisted calls to finance work directly using taxpayer money.

The meeting will convene at 7 p.m. in the Municipal Courtroom, Memorial Town Hall, 340 Franklin Ave. All are welcome, and all can speak before the Township Committee.