By Matt Lynch/ Daily News Staff
Friday, August 4, 2006 - Updated: 02:08 AM EST HOPEDALE -- On the hottest day of the summer, as hundreds of area residents flocked to local ponds and pools, one watering hole stayed conspicuously empty.
Layers of thick green algae and empty soda cans were the only things in the water at Hopedale Pond, which has been closed to swimmers for more than four years.
Prodded by Hopedale resident Bernie Stock, local and state officials are starting an effort to reopen the pond, beginning with $250,000 in state funding for studies examining the potential costs and methods of cleaning and dredging the stagnant waters. "The pond will die if it's not cleaned up," said state Rep. Marie Parente, D-Milford. "The algae is starting to introduce fungi and outside species."
State Sen. Richard Moore, D-Uxbridge, sponsored the initial legislation and the two politicians worked together to build support for the funding after Gov. Mitt Romney initially vetoed the money. Moore, born and raised in Hopedale, said the issue was an emotional one for him.
"There is definitely a personal attachment," said Moore. "I earned all of my life-saving instruction badges at Hopedale Pond and I used to swim in that pond every summer."
Hopedale Pond was once a popular spot for residents to cool off, said Stock, who lives near the pond. But once the Draper Mill, which had been dredging and maintaining the pond, closed its doors, the pond's condition gradually worsened.
Close to the abandoned Draper Mill complex, the shore of the lake was once dotted with beach towels and bodies but is now populated only by dog droppings and an occasional piece of trash. Stock said the situation on the north end of the lake is even worse. (See photos taken in October 2006)
"The upper end is close to turning into a meadow," he said. "There is a lot of algae and sediment."
Moore said nearly all of the $250,000 will be used for environmental testing lasting anywhere from nine months to one year as the town tries to determine the quickest, most efficient way to clean the pond.
Stock said he first contacted Moore about eight or nine months ago, and the project has since passed the Legislature with startling speed.
"This is incredible," said Stock. "The pond is a great asset because of its beauty and it has a lot to offer the community."
Mark Sesona, the Hopedale Parks superintendent, said the town closed the pond to swimmers for a number of reasons, including a lack of cash, which could be alleviated if the pond reopens. "With the amount of people using it, we didn't have enough to pay the lifeguards," he said. "If we get it cleaned and make it more presentable, we might be able to get more people out there."
Stock said he was glad the state was finally able to turn its attention toward the Hopedale Pond. "If you go back several years, with the financial situation the state was in, there were more important issues than whether or not Hopedale Pond got dredged," said Stock.
Parente said a cleaner Hopedale Pond would help attract more people and companies to the area.
"It's a good selling point for people who want to move into Hopedale and businesses that may want to come," she said. "Any town that borders Mill River will notice an increase in quality of the water coming by."
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