Cranberry Lake footbridge closed indefinitely

By Mandy Coriston
The Cranberry Lake footbridge was ordered closed by the NJDEP via a letter to Cranberry Lake Community Club president Mary Seage on Wednesday, June 5. The letter, from George Chidley of the DEP’s Office of Leases and Concessions, cites an engineering report from earlier this year and a previous request to limit foot traffic on the bridge to four people or fewer and to disallow any stopping or standing on the bridge. The CLCC is on a holdover lease with the state, giving the club the rights and responsibilities to the clubhouse, private beach areas, and the footbridge. The lease was signed in 1990.
The bridge was immediately boarded off, bringing a flood of concern from community members. Seage sent out a membership memo on Saturday, June 8 to address the closure. Explaining that the club has not been privy to the full reports and questioning the $1 million price tag the state is putting on bridge repairs, Seage said the club is consulting with their legal counsel and may consider hiring an independent firm to assess the nearly 90-year-old footbridge. Seage also referenced the possibility of seeking grant funding through the Save Our Bridge organization, of which she is also the president.
The bridge woes come amidst the membership battle which began late last summer, when the CLCC announced it would be requiring membership based upon Chapter 106 of the Planned Real Estate Development Full Disclosure Act. Legislative action has finalized the passage of State Senate bill S3661, which would amend the statute and no longer allow groups who were not established as homeowners’ association prior to the last amendment in 2017 to mandate membership. The bill has yet to be heard in the Assembly Housing and Community Development Committee, where it must be approved before advancing to a full Assembly vote. All new legislature in New Jersey must be ratified in both houses before being sent to the Governor’s desk.