By Esther Davis McKenna
As a child, he appreciated the beauty that surrounded what was then simple, unsophisticated marshland. But as Mahler grew up and raised a family of his own in the community, he watched the freshwater pond deteriorate from decades of neglect.
Now, due largely to the efforts of concerned citizens like Mahler and local Legislator Joe Scannell, the people of Baldwin will again be able to enjoy the beauty of Silver Lake. County Executive Tom Suozzi announced last week that $2.7 million has been earmarked for renovations to Silver Lake and Lofts Pond, also in Baldwin.
"Baldwin will soon have two more beautiful ponds they can be proud of," said Scannell, a lifelong Baldwin resident who has been fighting for the restoration of parks and waterways in his community since taking office in 2000.
The project, scheduled to begin next month, will involve hydraulic dredging and cleaning, installation of vegetative bank systems to prevent erosion and removal of invasive plant species that are destroying the health of the ponds. Hundreds of plants, trees and shrubs will be added in both areas, and new walkways, benches and lamps will also be installed. Milburn Pond in Baldwin has recently undergone similar major renovations that cost the county an additional $2.7 million.
According to Suozzi, the county has been grossly negligent in pond and waterway maintenance for "30 or 40 years," hence the expense of the restoration. According to Scannell, Suozzi was always highly receptive to restoration plans; the only problem was securing financing. Suozzi says that capital improvement projects like the restoration of these ponds, and others across the South Shore of Nassau County, are possible because "the county's finances are in order."
Aside for the need for general cleanup and beautification, both bodies of water are too shallow to maintain fish life. An overabundance of silt and the overgrowth of plants not indigenous to Long Island are to blame, and are literally sucking the oxygen from the ponds and making them unfit for native life, according to Suozzi.
After restoration, the ponds will reach a minimum depth of 4 to 5 feet, which will make it possible for aquatic life, including bass stocked by the state Department of Environmental Conservation, to once again thrive.
The ponds are fed by ground water discharge - seepage from the ground up - and storm water runoff, according to Brian Schneider, a hydrogeologist and an 18-year veteran of Nassau County's Department of Public Works, who spent years analyzing bodies of fresh water on the South Shore.
Lofts Pond, a 14-acre park that will be deepened and boast a boardwalk and fishing pier when the restoration is complete, flows beneath Merrick Road and empties into Silver Lake at Foxhurst Road and Westend Avenue. From Silver Lake, water flows under Foxhurst Road and discharges into Parsonage Creek.
Ray Healey, a resident of Derby Road, which runs along Lofts Pond, says the renovations are "a long time coming." Healey, who lives with two wheelchair-bound sisters, claims the steep slopes surrounding the pond are extremely dangerous, a factor Scannell says will be considered during renovations. "Access to, and the areas around, the ponds will be graduated," said Scannell.
Rolf Mahler is thrilled to hear it. "The concrete bulkheads prevent wildlife like goslings and turtles from accessing the water," said Mahler, whose home abuts the lake. "I've spent many happy hours at Silver Lake as a Scout, and then later, feeding the ducks and geese with my children and grandchildren. I'm glad future generations will also be able to enjoy the park."
