The Hammonton Gazette 09/09/15 Edition | Page 6

Page 6 • Wednesday, September 9, 2015 • The Hammonton Gazette The Hammonton Gazette “The Paper of Record” gabriel J. donio, Publisher gina rullo, Editor-in-Chief dan russoman, Sports Editor benny mendez, Staff Artist marysusan hoffman, brittany mauro, michael hozik, donna brown, Joseph bruno, kevin troilo, tania rivera, lauren crescenzo, Staff The Hammonton Gazette is located at 233 bellevue ave. to reach a staff member, call 704-1940 or fax at 704-1938. the mailing address is p.o. box 1228, hammonton, nJ 08037. edItorIals clean up the lake The Hammonton Gazette is published Wednesdays, by The Hammonton Gazette, Inc. Copyright © 2015. All rights reserved. ISSN 1093-6181 For many years, there have been steps taken to attempt to keep Hammonton Lake clean, both for recreational use and for the residents and businesses located on the lake’s shores. Those efforts have met with varying degrees of success. Swimming, for example, has not returned to Hammonton Lake Park, and the beach has slowly become overgrown. Concerns about the fecal coliform count have not been resolved, and the local government appears reluctant to return swimming to the lake. For many years, the Clean-Flo system was used on the portion of the lake around the beach area. There was much debate about whether it was effective or not. In the past year, the Clean-Flo system has no longer been operating, and there does not appear to be a significant effort to restart the system on the part of the local government. It may be coincidental, or it may be connected to the shutdown of the Clean-Flo system, but the lake appears to be in the early stages of stagnation. A cursory examination shows cloudy water and weed growth choking areas of the lake that were once devoid of weeds and much clearer. A look off the dock of the Hammonton Canoe Club easily shows the decline of the lakewater’s appearance. We are sure residents who live on the lake are seeing similar problems. It is time for the Hammonton Town Council, the Parks and Recreation Commission, the Environmental Commission and the Hammonton Lakewater Quality Committee to take immediate action and save Hammonton Lake for future generations. Either restart the Clean-Flo system or quickly find another option that works. Delaying will only exacerbate the problem. The time for discussion has passed. The time for action is now. Hammonton Lake is our town’s natural beauty. It must be saved and preserved for future generations, without delay. a great gift idea The Hammonton Lions Club has put together a great gift idea, just in time for Hammonton’s Sesquicentennial, celebrating the town’s 150th birthday. The Lions are selling a wonderful full-color commemorative throw featuring some of Hammonton’s most historic locations. Marie Natale, award-winning and highly-recognized artist, created paintings especially for use in the throw. Her 11 renderings, which were do