Turnout Crucial to Next Rambaut Public Meeting

The 21 homeowners around Rambaut Lake should soon receive a letter and a phone call that seeks to gauge interest in a third public meeting to speak about the possibility of a loan to pay for dam repairs.

The township has floated the date of Aug. 12 for such a hearing but doesn't want to hold a meeting  until it has a better idea of how many affected residents would be willing to attend.

"I don't feel a meeting where only a few people show up is beneficial," Committeeman Kevin Rooney said Thursday.

"The goal now is to get as many of the people as possible to such a meeting," Mayor Rudy Boonstra said earlier this week.

Attendance is crucial, as the most viable option being considered to assist the homeowners in their bid to fund costly dam repairs is the co-signing of a loan. The assumption of debt would be on a voluntary basis, as the governing body members don't favor any option that levies mandatory payments on nearby taxpayers or the community at large.

While there's "always possibilities," the "only thing we're willing to do at this time is co-sign a loan," Rooney said.

However, at least some of the more vocal residents near Rambaut are concerned that a co-signed loan isn't viable.

"Nothing is going to happen voluntarily," said Tom Buda, a Lakeview Drive resident.

"I personally don't think (it's) going to work," said Richard Green, a West Shore Drive resident.

Charles Lieberman, an economist and Canterbury Lane resident, has argued that the lake is a "public good" that provides direct, obvious benefits to the lakefront homeowners while also offering less measurable benefits to the township overall. Lieberman believes a voluntary approach doesn't provide enough incentive for the majority of homeowners to get involved.

"It's precisely the role of government... to assume responsibility," he said.

"The chance they'd get most everyone on the lake to agree is not likely," Lieberman said.

Buda is concerned about the next steps should the loan proposal fail to gain traction.

"We totally appreciate what the town is doing," said Buda, but "we're proceeding down the path of a single solution," in reference to a loan.

"In the likelihood that 'Plan A' isn't implementable, what's Plan B?," Buda said. 

Lake residents and the governing body have largely agreed that the 7.5-acre body of water off West Shore Drive is a township asset worthy of preserving, but have differed on the question of who assumes the burden of funding. Members who once constituted Beekmere Inc., a defunct lakefront entity, voluntarily have paid for years to fund upkeep, but the dam repairs are beyond their economic capabilities.

Residents also have little recourse as they have no legal standing to achieve a loan on their own. 

Buda and others who have attended the two prior public hearings on the matter have voiced support for a town-wide special assessment and other measures, including the township taking ownership of the lake. 

The governing body hasn't committed to a course of action but members are wary of saddling the general community with the cost of dam repairs and/or ongoing maintenance. They see their role as voluntarily assisting the homeowners to find a solution rather than imposing a fix. But talks about a loan cannot go forward until the township has a better idea of how many residents would agree to the payments, which would come in the form of a lien against their homes to ensure the township is paid back.

"The point of the (possible Aug. 12) meeting is to confirm who's in and who's not," said Committeeman Chris DePhillips.

"We can't make a decision without a decent showing of residents," Rooney said, adding that he'd personally like to see at least half the lakefront residents show up.

Only nine of the lakefront residents were in attendance at the last meeting, and not all were convinced of the idea to assume liens. Residents have said a loan can go forward without full participation, although at least the majority of homeowners would have to agree.

Such a loan would cost homeowners at least several thousand dollars a year, even at full participation. The loan amount remains unclear, as homeowners had until recently been relying on three-year-old engineering estimates that ranged from $650,000 to more than $1 million for dam work.

Buda said residents obtained an updated assessment in keeping with Township Committee requests following the last public session. He said the $650,000 quote should be enough to handle work on the dam, but residents have asked the township to pay for a second bid "as a means of balancing our first one."

That's not likely. "I would personally not endorse anything where we have to spend taxpayer money on that project," Rooney said. The mayor agreed, saying "we're not going to spend a lot of taxpayer money on this."

Residents and officials also are in a race against time, with the deteriorating dam not the only looming issue. The state Department of Environmental Protection has sent several letters warning residents that they could face fines or the dam could be breached by the state if they don't fund necessary inspections, file related paperwork and, of course, fix the dam.

The most recent (June 17) communication from the state, which has said dam removal isn't likely, gave the residents 60 days to comply with mandates.

"Time is of the essence," Buda said.

A letter came to Green, who was "sort of taken aback" that it was addressed to him personally. The same letter was sent to Lieberman. Both said they informed the DEP that former Beekmere members are working with the Township Committee to resolve the issues while advising them that Beekmere no longer exists. Green said the letter also levied a $3,700 fine on "Beekmere."

"Who's going to pay that?," Green said.

And not all those who once could have been seen as Beekmere representatives have contributed to the lake. A core group of families have paid annually, while there are some who do not contribute, residents have said.

Although Buda said he's in contact with all the homeowners on a regular basis, only about five showed up the last time they planned a private meeting.

Green believes many are weary of the entire situation but is hopeful that the township's push to notify homeowners of a future public meeting will be fruitful.

"I hope we and the township can come to some sort of amicable agreement," he said.

Lieberman agrees.

"The objective is quite alive; how to get there is the problem."