Waterloo included on endangered list

Statewide preservation group names its annual list Byram n Preservation New Jersey named Waterloo Village to its 2007 list of the state’s most endangered historic sites. Announced last week in Trenton, the list cites the closing of the village after the state Department of Environmental Protection voided its lease with the Waterloo Foundation for the Arts last December. Most of the village lies within the Allamuchy Mountain State Park and is under the authority of the Division of Parks and Forestry. The foundation operated the village for more than 40 years but lost money on programming of entertainment through its performing arts center. The DEP decided the quality of historic programming and stewardship of the buildings had suffered and terminated the lease. The Canal Museum and section of the Morris Canal and its inclined plane are maintained by the Canal Society of New Jersey and remain open, according to society president Brian Morrell. The DEP requested proposals for new management but didn’t receive any, according to Sally Lane, of the Division of Parks and Forestry. Preservation NJ cited the expense of repairs to long-neglected buildings as a drain on state resources. A bigger problem is the state has no formal policy regarding leasing historic sites to “friends” or other groups. Positive changes were cited by Preservation NJ in its announcement: repairs are underway on two buildings and others are in design or being evaluated. Lane said the grist mill and apothecary shop are being repaired. Others are being evaluated or designs for repairs are in the works. Repair and reconstruction at the Indian Village on an island in the Musconetcong River are also underway. The state has committed $450,000 in capital funds, but Preservation NJ’s staff feel it would take much more money to bring the site back to its condition when 100,000 schoolchildren a year visited.