The Moorestown Township Council awarded a contract to Loftus Construction Inc. to fix dams at Strawbridge Lake at its meeting on June 23.
“Strawbridge Lake is the pearl of Moorestown,” Councilmember Phil Garwood said. “A lot of people relate Moorestown to Strawbridge Lake, so it’s very important that we keep the lake beautiful and functional.”
Strawbridge Lake Park offers 70 acres of open space along the lake and is a popular destination for boaters and fishermen. The lake will see a huge increase in use in the next few months, according to Garwood.
“Now that the summer is here, more and more people are going to be visiting the lake and the park,” he said. “The dams are still standing and the lake has not been affected as of yet, but with the influx of people, we need to get the dams repaired.”
The township will use $66,330 from the Moorestown Open Space, Recreation Farmland and Historic Preservation Trust Fund to begin the repairs. The total amount of the contract awarded to Loftus Construction is $338,230. This will include repairs to Hooten’s Creek Dam, Lower Hooten’s Creek Dam and the Moorestown Dam located at Strawbridge Lake.
“The dams are in pretty dire condition,” Garwood said. “The recent downpours and summer rain we expect to be coming make this a pressing issue we have to take care of now.”
Another problem with Strawbridge Lake has been the silt buildup. The township will be looking into this issue as the summer progresses as well.
“We will be conducting hydrology studies to determine what the cause of the silt buildup is,” Garwood said. “After we get the results of those studies, we will know more about what the next steps will be.”
The dam repairs and hydrology studies are an effort to keep Strawbridge Lake as the center of the community.
“Strawbridge Lake is a wonderful place,” Garwood said. “We want to make sure that people continue to head to the lake during the summer, so we are doing everything we can to keep the lake beautiful and clean.”
In other news:
• Council acknowledged the Special Olympics Torch Run that passed through Moorestown on June 12.
“The torch run was a really cool event and we’re proud that it stopped through Moorestown,” Garwood said. “The council wanted to thank all those who helped make that happen and to the community for representing Moorestown proudly.”
• Council awarded a contract Spectrasev in the amount of $120,000 for the removal and disposal of contents of the wastewater treatment plant secondary digester.
• The next Township Council Meeting will take place on July 7 at 7:30 p.m.
