Homeowners rally at eleventh hour to save Lake Wanda

Vernon — Little more than a week after someone illicitly bought more time for Lake Wanda by closing the valve that was draining the lake, it appears as if the troubled waters will be saved. After an intense three weeks of negotiations, fundraising and organizing, the lake’s homeowners’ association has a new point man, a nascent sense of community, money to buy the lake and the assurance that the court order that required it be drained would be lifted this week. The good news was discussed at Monday’s township council meeting. Just a week earlier, N.J. Department of Environmental Protection officials had been standing on the lake’s decaying dam, looking at a rising water level and decrying the fact that someone had closed the valve that was supposed to be draining it. But just hours later, amidst handshakes and smiles, the lake’s owner, Dennis Schwarz, state officials, and Jay Angrick, lakefront property owner and new front man for the homeowners’ association, were close to a having a plan to save the lake. The news was greeted with relief by the council, which last year had promised to co-sign for a low-interest loan from the state to repair the dam. But, until the state actually began draining it, the homeowners were unable to organize a viable association that could assess dues and pay for the work. The lake and a five-foot border totally surrounding it was built by the family of Dennis Schwarz many years ago. When his father died, Schwarz promised to maintain the lake, but he was ultimately unable to pay all the costs associated with that task, including paying his taxes. As the dam deteriorated, state officials warned Schwarz and the homeowners that if they did not repair it, the lake would have to be drained to guard against a breach of the dam that would send a flood of turbid water into Lake Wawayanda, a state park, downstream. Schwarz says when he couldn’t collect enough in dues from residents to cover maintenance and taxes, he stopped paying property taxes in 2002 on the lake and other properties he owns in the hope that Vernon would foreclose on the property and take it off his hands. But that didn’t happen, mainly because the township administration hoped community residents would solve the problem by purchasing the lake. “We didn’t want to be saddled with all the problems associated with owning a lake and maintaining the dam at taxpayer expense,” Mayor Janet Morrison said. But the residents could neither effectively organize nor agree to a price with Schwarz. Finally, at the last minute, Angrick took matters into his own hands. Angrick says he worked day and night to collect money from property owners to purchase the lake and pay the tax liens on four of the properties Schwarz owns. The total price will be $50,434.50, $27,000 for the lake and the rest to retire the tax liens. The reprieve should allow the nine-foot-deep lake to be lowered by only two feet while the dam is being repaired. That should save the freshwater clams, fish, muskrats, beavers, otters, swans, ducks and other wildlife whose habitat would have been ruined had the lake been drained. When the purchase is complete, the lake and the five feet of surrounding lake front property will belong to the Lake Wanda Property Owners’ Association. “We have the $27,000 and we are getting the rest of the $23,000 for the tax liens,” Angrick says. “People are being generous, and some are giving as much as $2,000.” Joseph Ragno, the township’s attorney, said that the money will be deposited in an escrow account. He said that the association could proceed with the lake purchase now and address the tax liens on the other properties as they raise the funds. “I’m a very happy man,” Angrick says. “I’ve been working on this about 10 hours a day, on the phone, going to people’s houses. I’ve gone after this like a shark. And the number one person helping me has been Dennis Schwarz. You can’t take a fisherman’s lake away from him without expecting a big fight.” In the past, Angrick said, the hang-up had been over 13 lots that Schwarz owns near the lake. Several of them are on swampy land that is unsuitable for building. The homeowners were unwilling to purchase all of the lots along with the lake. The new agreement will see the association purchasing just four lots: the lake itself, an island, beach and an access point to the dam. Having Schwarz retain the remaining land took more than $26,000 off the price and made the deal workable. Environmental officials have confirmed that a $362,000 low-interest loan to repair the dam is ready and waiting for the lake association. Township Manager Don Teolis said that Vernon tax collector Josephine Prisco had been researching the best way to use the provisions of the N. J. Safe Dam Act to assess Lake Wanda property owners for the cost of repairing the dam. Ragno suggested that lakefront property owners should pay one rate and those who own property in the community that is not on the lake should pay another. The loan, which would take ten years to repay, would cost the 350 property owners an estimated $100-$120 each year. Not all residents are happy with the agreement. Some, including Carol Gramuglia, are standing firm in their opposition to paying for repairs they say Schwarz should have completed years ago. “I’m for saving the lake, but not for paying out of my own pocket for work the owner should have done,” Gramuglia said. But Angrick says he admires Gramuglia’s intelligence and zeal for doing in-depth research, and hopes she’ll want to join the new lake association board. Angrick has called for an election for new board officers, and he’s running for president. The former board was elected for two-year terms, which now have expired. A trophy-winning bass fisherman and mason, Angrick comes from a long line of community activists. His sister, Donna Wilson, chairs the Vernon Historical Commission, and his mother is involved in a Florida program to alert people to dangers from hurricanes. Looking ahead, he sees a united community picnicking at tables on the beach; happy children swimming and forming a swimming team; and floating docks with fishermen’s boats tied alongside. “Yep,” Angrick says, “I see this happening, and I see Lake Wanda becoming a true community. It’s about time.”