SWEENEY, BURZICHELLI & RILEY WELCOME COMPLETION OF BOSTWICK LAKE DAM RESTORATION

SWEENEY, BURZICHELLI & RILEY WELCOME COMPLETION OF BOSTWICK LAKE DAM RESTORATION

(THIRD LEGISLATIVE DISTRICT) – Third District legislators Senate Majority Leader Stephen M. Sweeney, Assembly Deputy Speaker John Burzichelli and Assemblywoman Celeste Riley today welcomed completion of the Bostwick Lake dam restoration, deeming it a crucial step toward improved public safety and a stronger economy for the region.

“It’s been a long road, but this is a great day for Bostwick Lake and its surrounding communities and counties,” Sweeney said. “This project is an example of what a cooperative effort between state and local officials can accomplish to improve and promote a valuable resource and provide a recreational facility close to home in these tough economic times.”

Bostwick Lake Dam is in Upper Deerfield and Hopewell Townships in Cumberland County and Alloway Township in Salem County. It was damaged in 1999 when Tropical Storm Floyd dropped significant rainfall on the state.

Bostwick Lake had been closed since because of the damage, but today’s ceremony allows fishing to resume at the lake, and state wildlife officials stocked the lake with fish so that residents can enjoy the recreation

“Bostwick Lake is a part of South Jersey’s heritage, is an attraction far and wide for tourists and local residents alike and today is the start of a new day for it,” Burzichelli said.. “This ceremony is especially important, as it comes during a difficult global recession and the lake and what it offers is vital for a strong economy in this region.”

The legislators - including former Assemblyman Doug Fisher, who Riley replaced when he resigned to become the state agriculture secretary - started working immediately upon taking office in 2002 with local officials to facilitate meetings and permitting with the state Department of Environmental Protection.

The project had to be redesigned several times and the general contractor went out of business, but the legislators remained committed to restoring the lake. They obtained $686,000 in state funding for the project, while Alloway, Hopewell and Upper Deerfield contributed another $60,000.

“Protecting and improving a precious resource such as Bostwick Lake is, quite simply, the right thing to do, not only for our overall well-being, but for our local economy,” said Riley. “We need to do all we can to ensure natural resources like this are maintained for generations to come, and that’s what we’ve done here.”