Ridgewood residents seek support for restorations at Kings Pond
OCTOBER 24, 2014 LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2014, 12:31 AM
BY JODI WEINBERGER
STAFF WRITER |
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS
George Shabet brought a dead 3-foot carp to a council meeting in 1976 to prove a point: Kings Pond needed to be cleaned up.
Thirty-eight years later, he’s again trying to hook the council to take action on the pond, though this time with a more chummy approach.
He went before the governing body on Oct. 8 with only a sheet of paper containing his talking points, asking the council to consider appropriating money in the 2015 budget for dredging and dam repair.
At 334 Lakeview Drive, Kings Pond is virtually an extension of the Shabet’s front yard. They raised six children and now entertain 16 grandchildren and one great-grandchild by the water’s edge, canoeing and fishing in the summer and ice skating in the winter.
The pond, located between Lakeview Drive and Mountain Avenue, is home to more than 40 species of birds and other wildlife. Although at one point the depth was about 3 feet, Shabet said the legs of the herons that come to feed stick up out of the water, meaning in some spots the pond is only a few inches deep.
The pond is also adjacent to the village’s leaf composting facility, where trucks drive in and out consistently throughout the day.
On Tuesday, Councilman Michael Sedon and Councilwoman Gwenn Hauck visited the Shabets with optimism that the pond’s shoreline could be cleaned up. Upon seeing it, they realized the job would require more effort and more funds.
– See more at: https://www.northjersey.com/community-news/residents-seeking-support-for-restorations-at-kings-pond-1.1116983#sthash.KmJw3Uge.dpuf
