Gavel (Credit: Brian Turner/Flickr)
Brick Township council members are expected to vote on the settlement of a condemnation action that began in 2012.
The settlement, for $59,850, will wrap up the township’s financial obligations stemming from the replacement of the lower Lake Riviera dam, which took place in 2012 and 2013. At the time of the dam replacement project, which was ordered by the state, Brick used its eminent domain power to take a temporary construction easement as well as a permanent easement from Tri-Murti Associates, located near Lake Shore Drive.
At the time, the township deposited $30,150 into a court trust account, representing the estimated value of the land that was taken. Tri-Murti contested the value, as well as the amount of land that was taken, but ultimately reached a settlement with the township to accept a permanent easement on a larger plot of land, valued at $90,000.
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The $59,850 represents the amount needed to reach the $90,000 figure.
The dams at Lake Riviera and Rainbow Lake, which control the water level in Lake Riviera and the flow of water into Kettle Creek, were ordered to be replaced since they were “earthened” dams. After a study commissioned by the state after flooding in the early 2000s, it was determined that all earthened dams statewide be replaced, regardless of their condition. The project cost $1.5 million, $700,000 of which was paid for by the state.
