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Historic Committee voices concerns about dam plan
(by Cindy Forrest - October 29, 2008)
The proposal by developer Edward Mosberg to reconstruct the Forge Pond dam has the Parsippany-Troy Hills Historic Preservation Advisory Committee concerned. In an Oct. 10 letter to Mayor Michael Luther and members of the town council, Committee Chair Julia Peterson outlined the problems in the plan submitted in August by Boswell Engineering on behalf of Mosberg.
Having conducted a preliminary review of the proposed reconstruction plans, she writes that the committee is “concerned with the preservation of both the dam and the pond as significant elements of the township’s early history.”
Under the engineering plan, both the dam and pond would be maintained but at significantly reduced levels. However, the main worry of the committee is the large amount of historic material that would be removed from the earthen dam in order to lower its height. Steel sheet piling with concrete caps would be installed and in some areas, the concrete cap may be visible. And although the spillway stones would be reused in the new sluiceway and gate, the original spillway would be removed.
The letter states, “The reconstruction of the dam as currently proposed removes too much historic material and has the potential to adversely impact other contributing historic elements associated with the forge on the downstream side of the dam. In addition, the placement of a concrete cap and what seems to be the inclusion of rubble rip-rap represent the hardening of what is currently an earthen structure. The concrete cap should not be visible and the use of rip-rap should be limited to non-visible portions of the dam.”
Peterson, along with committee member Randy Tortorello, the township historian, addressed the council at a recent meeting. Also at the meeting was Len Fariello, an East Hanover alderman, a conservator for Troy Meadows and an environmentalist. He once again recommended that the council consider hiring a professional to delineate the wetland areas at the site, which he said, differed from earlier estimates.
“I wouldn't rely on the boundaries being submitted the developer,” he said.
Council Vice President Ann Grossi agreed but said that it wasn't a council decision.
“If it were up to me I would engage a professional to represent the township,” she said, “but that is the administration’s responsibility.”
Jasmine Lim, the township business administrator, noted that the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) had already determined the wetland delineation so the input of any other party would be moot.
“I guess then you'll just have to live with those numbers,” said Fariello.
The committee also wants to be sure that during the anticipated two - three months of construction activities the elements of the historic forge be protected from damage or destruction. They asked that, “The remains of the anvil, wheel pit and other features with a buffer zone should be fenced off throughout the project.”
And finally, because the reconstruction of the dam could potentially impact the historical elements of the property, the committee is recommending that it be recorded prior to and during construction.
“Specifically, the dam, pond and forge should be documented in accordance with the Historic American Engineering Record/Historic American Building Survey guidelines,” the letter states, “and the development of an historic context for this property and images of its current condition.”
Peterson proposes that an investigation be conducted by an archaeologist with experience in industrial archaeology in the areas adjacent to the dam, including the forge, which will be impacted by construction activities, the storage of equipment and materials and the movement of construction vehicles. A qualified archaeologist should also be present, she notes, for the excavation of the dam to document the interior portions of the dam.
The committee proposes that as part of the reconstruction, an interpretive kiosk should be installed in the area to identify the dam and pond as historic structures. A plan for post-construction monitoring of the dam’s operation should be developed and implemented to ensure the survivability of the vegetation on the dam and the proper functioning of the dam. Finally, as-built drawings and a maintenance plan for the dam should be developed.
According to historical data provided by Peterson, John Cobb built the one-fire forge, with a 40-ton capacity, which served the Troy Industrial Hamlet. It was last operated in the 1860s.
“The fact that it survived until 1860 indicates that Troy Forge was an important part of the local settlement,” writes Peterson.
The dam, in place for c. 200 years, is made of rubble, cut rock and earthen berm. It is approximately 10 feet high and 280 feet in length, with flume and spillway locations where water can be released. There were improvements made in the19th and 20th centuries, including the addition of drains into Troy Meadows.
The property was purchased from the Crowell family in the early 1980s by Parkside Gardens Associates, which built hundreds of homes there in the 1990s. However, the approval given to Parkside Gardens Associates for the residential construction included an agreement for Mosberg to repair the dam then turn it, the pond and about 100 acres of the surrounding land over to the township for open space.
In 2005 the township initiated a lawsuit against the developer, for failing to repair the dam and relinquish the property. And in June, the DEP got involved. With concerns about the condition of the dam, the developer was ordered to drain the 13-acre pond.
So under court order to move forward, Mosberg submitted a plan with the DEP for rebuilding the aging dam. As proposed, the project would cost the developer approximately $350,000.
Cindy Forrest can be contacted at: forrestc@northjersey.com.
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