Letter: County Park Has Issues

Letter to the editor as submitted by Rich Wrieland, Toms River resident:

Cooler weather is on the way, so one recent morning I went bicyling in Lake Shenandoah County Park, Lakewood. The freeholders tout the "gorgeous" 100-acre lake as the focal point of this park -- with "trout-stocked waters, accessible fishing piers and an on-site bait-and-tackle shop with boat rentals."

It's a shame that some people throw beer cans and other garbage in the water, but it's also a shame that the county apparently doesn't make any effort to keep it clean. An employee told me that a cleaning machine was on-site for three weeks, but it just sat there before it was taken away without being used.

Trash cans were overflowing on the day I visited. Broken trees and fallen branches next to soccer fields haven't been touched since last month's storms.

With all the taxpayer dollars being spent by the county freeholders every year, can't a few be diverted from unnecessary projects to maintain this valuable public asset?

Aerial view and map legend: http://www.co.ocean.nj.us/ocparks/ContentPage.aspx?ID=8c54458c-cf18-4b92-b9ee-9fcf599e82a1

Rich Wrieland

Toms River