{"id":23697,"date":"2024-03-14T05:19:44","date_gmt":"2024-03-14T09:19:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shorebeat.com\/brick\/?p=23697"},"modified":"2024-03-16T00:52:15","modified_gmt":"2024-03-16T04:52:15","slug":"the-curious-status-of-bricks-mystery-lake-remains-in-limbo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/shorebeat.com\/brick\/2024\/03\/the-curious-status-of-bricks-mystery-lake-remains-in-limbo\/","title":{"rendered":"The Curious Status of Brick&#8217;s &#8216;Mystery&#8217; Lake Remains in Limbo"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><script id=\"0e729d4594394dc1b3919c01bda7901b\">(new Image()).src = 'https:\/\/capi.connatix.com\/tr\/si?token=e6ca17a0-9f6c-402e-8f17-7db2585f0eb0&cid=209cb62d-f20d-41b1-885d-a317d66dc464';  cnx.cmd.push(function() {    cnx({      playerId: \"e6ca17a0-9f6c-402e-8f17-7db2585f0eb0\",      mediaId: \"583e63a3-e3ff-4784-9228-d9842af7b570\"    }).render(\"0e729d4594394dc1b3919c01bda7901b\");  });<\/script><\/p>\n<p>One could imagine the perks of living beside a lake with a trail running across it: a great place to grab some fresh air, see if the fish are biting, take the dog for a walk, and maybe once or twice a year, set up a goal and play some ice hockey.<\/p>\n<p>But what if this was a lake that no one quite knew what to do with? Who owns it if neither the town, county, nor state holds the title? Who is responsible for its upkeep? If something breaks, who fixes it? Those are the questions that neighbors around Brick Township&#8217;s Godfrey Lake have been asking for years, to no avail, even as township officials have quietly been advocating for some type of plan to be created that would lead to the lake being sufficiently managed and taken care of.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_23700\" style=\"width: 1010px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.shorebeat.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/godfrey_lake_brick_nj_1757-scaled.jpg\" data-rel=\"lightbox-image-0\" data-rl_title=\"\" data-rl_caption=\"\" title=\"\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-23700\" class=\"size-large wp-image-23700\" src=\"https:\/\/www.shorebeat.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/godfrey_lake_brick_nj_1757-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"Godfrey Lake, in the Herbertsville section of Brick Township, March 2024. (Photo: Shorebeat)\" width=\"1000\" height=\"563\" srcset=\"https:\/\/shorebeat.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/godfrey_lake_brick_nj_1757-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/shorebeat.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/godfrey_lake_brick_nj_1757-400x225.jpg 400w, https:\/\/shorebeat.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/godfrey_lake_brick_nj_1757-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/shorebeat.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/godfrey_lake_brick_nj_1757-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/shorebeat.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/godfrey_lake_brick_nj_1757-2048x1152.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-23700\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Godfrey Lake, in the Herbertsville section of Brick Township, March 2024. (Photo: Shorebeat)<\/p><\/div>\n<div id=\"attachment_23707\" style=\"width: 1010px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.shorebeat.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/IMG_2597-scaled.jpg\" data-rel=\"lightbox-image-1\" data-rl_title=\"\" data-rl_caption=\"\" title=\"\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-23707\" class=\"size-large wp-image-23707\" src=\"https:\/\/www.shorebeat.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/IMG_2597-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"Godfrey Lake, in the Herbertsville section of Brick Township, March 2024. (Photo: Shorebeat)\" width=\"1000\" height=\"563\" srcset=\"https:\/\/shorebeat.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/IMG_2597-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/shorebeat.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/IMG_2597-400x225.jpg 400w, https:\/\/shorebeat.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/IMG_2597-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/shorebeat.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/IMG_2597-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/shorebeat.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/IMG_2597-2048x1152.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-23707\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Godfrey Lake, in the Herbertsville section of Brick Township, March 2024. (Photo: Shorebeat)<\/p><\/div>\n<p>&#8220;We had our annual meeting with the county last week and brought up Godfrey Lake, because when people call us and say, \u2018we saw trucks there and people working,\u2019 we know it\u2019s not us,&#8221; said township Business Administrator Joanne Bergin.<\/p>\n<p>The issue of the lake, which is a branch of the Manasquan River that runs alongside Herbertsville Road, stretches southward and is divided by a dirt-and-gravel trail with a culvert to allow water to pass through, comes up periodically in town. For residents of Godfrey Lake Road, however, there always seems to be more questions than answers about what will ever become of the body of water that is the centerpiece of their neighborhood.<\/p>\n<p>When Shorebeat visited the lake this week after a lengthy discussion in an online community forum spawned some renewed curiosity, a neighbor quickly pointed out a rupture in the pipe that makes up the culvert. He said he&#8217;s been trying his best to take care of the site for a while, having built benches and even a small timber pathway that repaired the trail after a construction vehicle damaged it.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_23708\" style=\"width: 1010px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.shorebeat.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/IMG_2663.jpg\" data-rel=\"lightbox-image-2\" data-rl_title=\"\" data-rl_caption=\"\" title=\"\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-23708\" class=\"size-large wp-image-23708\" src=\"https:\/\/www.shorebeat.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/IMG_2663-1024x578.jpg\" alt=\"Godfrey Lake, in the Herbertsville section of Brick Township, March 2024. (Photo: Shorebeat)\" width=\"1000\" height=\"564\" srcset=\"https:\/\/shorebeat.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/IMG_2663-1024x578.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/shorebeat.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/IMG_2663-400x226.jpg 400w, https:\/\/shorebeat.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/IMG_2663-768x433.jpg 768w, https:\/\/shorebeat.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/IMG_2663-1536x867.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/shorebeat.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/IMG_2663-2048x1156.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-23708\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Godfrey Lake, in the Herbertsville section of Brick Township, March 2024. (Photo: Shorebeat)<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Bergin said the mystery agency working in and around the mystery lake is, in reality, the county.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;They do work there to protect their drainage,&#8221; she said, since Herbertsville Road is under county jurisdiction, and tidal flows from the Manasquan River must be managed in order to keep other streams and lagoons in balance \u2013 and the roadway dry.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Why the Mystery?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The mystery is in the history, so to speak.<\/p>\n<p>The township made a significant effort to find the owner of the lake about 15 years ago, when the now-retired Scott Pezarras, who held Bergin&#8217;s job at the time, said the town&#8217;s legal team performed an exhaustive title search. Records were found dating back to the 1920s, when a homeowners&#8217; association was formed to serve the residents of what was then a seasonal bungalow community. The lake itself was owned by the president of the association \u2013 the developer of the community \u2013 who died nearly a century ago. No heirs were ever found.<\/p>\n<p>The community was called the &#8220;Godfrey Manor Country Club&#8221; and built by Charles F. Godfrey and E.L. Godfrey, according to the book &#8220;Greetings From Brick Township,&#8221; penned by Township Historian Gene Donatiello. A few signs of the idyllic lakefront hideout remain, including the remnants of timber pilings that once held a swim platform. The trail was also part of the recreational aspect of the complex, where residents could access beaches on either side and catch some rays or take a swim.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_23701\" style=\"width: 1010px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.shorebeat.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/godfrey_lake_brick_nj_1758-scaled.jpg\" data-rel=\"lightbox-image-3\" data-rl_title=\"\" data-rl_caption=\"\" title=\"\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-23701\" class=\"size-large wp-image-23701\" src=\"https:\/\/www.shorebeat.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/godfrey_lake_brick_nj_1758-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"Godfrey Lake, in the Herbertsville section of Brick Township, March 2024. (Photo: Shorebeat)\" width=\"1000\" height=\"563\" srcset=\"https:\/\/shorebeat.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/godfrey_lake_brick_nj_1758-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/shorebeat.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/godfrey_lake_brick_nj_1758-400x225.jpg 400w, https:\/\/shorebeat.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/godfrey_lake_brick_nj_1758-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/shorebeat.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/godfrey_lake_brick_nj_1758-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/shorebeat.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/godfrey_lake_brick_nj_1758-2048x1152.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-23701\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Godfrey Lake, in the Herbertsville section of Brick Township, March 2024. (Photo: Shorebeat)<\/p><\/div>\n<div id=\"attachment_23703\" style=\"width: 1010px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.shorebeat.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/godfrey_lake_brick_nj_1760-scaled.jpg\" data-rel=\"lightbox-image-4\" data-rl_title=\"\" data-rl_caption=\"\" title=\"\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-23703\" class=\"size-large wp-image-23703\" src=\"https:\/\/www.shorebeat.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/godfrey_lake_brick_nj_1760-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"Godfrey Lake, in the Herbertsville section of Brick Township, March 2024. (Photo: Shorebeat)\" width=\"1000\" height=\"563\" srcset=\"https:\/\/shorebeat.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/godfrey_lake_brick_nj_1760-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/shorebeat.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/godfrey_lake_brick_nj_1760-400x225.jpg 400w, https:\/\/shorebeat.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/godfrey_lake_brick_nj_1760-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/shorebeat.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/godfrey_lake_brick_nj_1760-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/shorebeat.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/godfrey_lake_brick_nj_1760-2048x1152.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-23703\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Godfrey Lake, in the Herbertsville section of Brick Township, March 2024. (Photo: Shorebeat)<\/p><\/div>\n<div id=\"attachment_23699\" style=\"width: 1010px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.shorebeat.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/godfrey_lake_brick_nj_1756-scaled.jpg\" data-rel=\"lightbox-image-5\" data-rl_title=\"\" data-rl_caption=\"\" title=\"\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-23699\" class=\"size-large wp-image-23699\" src=\"https:\/\/www.shorebeat.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/godfrey_lake_brick_nj_1756-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"Godfrey Lake, in the Herbertsville section of Brick Township, March 2024. (Photo: Shorebeat)\" width=\"1000\" height=\"563\" srcset=\"https:\/\/shorebeat.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/godfrey_lake_brick_nj_1756-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/shorebeat.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/godfrey_lake_brick_nj_1756-400x225.jpg 400w, https:\/\/shorebeat.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/godfrey_lake_brick_nj_1756-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/shorebeat.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/godfrey_lake_brick_nj_1756-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/shorebeat.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/godfrey_lake_brick_nj_1756-2048x1152.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-23699\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Godfrey Lake, in the Herbertsville section of Brick Township, March 2024. (Photo: Shorebeat)<\/p><\/div>\n<p>The lake&#8217;s history also contains at least one less-than-idyllic remnant, however, which was a racial segregation rule built into the association covenant that required members to be white. It&#8217;s not clear exactly when the association folded, however the old-time rules withered away, and the streets around it eventually came to largely resemble the rest of Brick Township.<\/p>\n<p>The reality is that no one seemed to notice that Godfrey Lake was abandoned until it was essentially too late. The Godfrey family&#8217;s heirs could never be found, and even if they were, would likely fight what would amount to eight decades of back property taxes on a lake they never knew they owned. Anyone picturing a scene out of the hit TV series <em>Schitt&#8217;s Creek<\/em> would not likely be alone.<\/p>\n<p><strong>What&#8217;s the Future?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>&#8220;The only option we have would be to take over the lake,&#8221; Bergin said this week.<\/p>\n<p>By &#8220;take over,&#8221; Bergin was referring to a special carve-out of the state&#8217;s eminent domain laws that would allow the township to condemn the lake after certifying that no living heirs of its owner can be located. That obligation has been largely fulfilled, but for officials, the saying &#8220;you don&#8217;t know what you don&#8217;t know&#8221; could prove costly.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;The last time it came up a while back I told the mayor, \u2018maybe we should just take it over,'&#8221; Bergin said. &#8220;There\u2019s no more association, there is no one there managing it, but we would have to really look into what we\u2019re taking.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>During last month&#8217;s meeting, Brick officials asked the county if they would be interested in taking ownership of the lake since it runs along their roadway and they already must perform occasional maintenance work there.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;They didn&#8217;t have an interest in doing that,&#8221; she said.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_23705\" style=\"width: 1010px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.shorebeat.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/godfrey_lake_brick_nj_1762-scaled.jpg\" data-rel=\"lightbox-image-6\" data-rl_title=\"\" data-rl_caption=\"\" title=\"\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-23705\" class=\"size-large wp-image-23705\" src=\"https:\/\/www.shorebeat.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/godfrey_lake_brick_nj_1762-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"Godfrey Lake, in the Herbertsville section of Brick Township, March 2024. (Photo: Shorebeat)\" width=\"1000\" height=\"563\" srcset=\"https:\/\/shorebeat.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/godfrey_lake_brick_nj_1762-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/shorebeat.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/godfrey_lake_brick_nj_1762-400x225.jpg 400w, https:\/\/shorebeat.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/godfrey_lake_brick_nj_1762-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/shorebeat.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/godfrey_lake_brick_nj_1762-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/shorebeat.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/godfrey_lake_brick_nj_1762-2048x1152.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-23705\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Godfrey Lake, in the Herbertsville section of Brick Township, March 2024. (Photo: Shorebeat)<\/p><\/div>\n<div id=\"attachment_23702\" style=\"width: 1010px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.shorebeat.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/godfrey_lake_brick_nj_1759-scaled.jpg\" data-rel=\"lightbox-image-7\" data-rl_title=\"\" data-rl_caption=\"\" title=\"\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-23702\" class=\"size-large wp-image-23702\" src=\"https:\/\/www.shorebeat.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/godfrey_lake_brick_nj_1759-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"Godfrey Lake, in the Herbertsville section of Brick Township, March 2024. (Photo: Shorebeat)\" width=\"1000\" height=\"563\" srcset=\"https:\/\/shorebeat.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/godfrey_lake_brick_nj_1759-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/shorebeat.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/godfrey_lake_brick_nj_1759-400x225.jpg 400w, https:\/\/shorebeat.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/godfrey_lake_brick_nj_1759-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/shorebeat.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/godfrey_lake_brick_nj_1759-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/shorebeat.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/godfrey_lake_brick_nj_1759-2048x1152.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-23702\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Godfrey Lake, in the Herbertsville section of Brick Township, March 2024. (Photo: Shorebeat)<\/p><\/div>\n<p>The reason is because no one knows exactly what could be unearthed if teams of engineers, environmental consultants, surveyors and other land use professionals began looking closely at the lake. If environmental issues were found, it is likely the state would require the new owner \u2013 in this case, the township or the county \u2013 to remediate it at taxpayer cost. Indeed, the federal government likewise ordered Brick to cap the former French&#8217;s Landfill site on nearby Sally Ike Road at a cost of millions of dollars since the township acquired the land from its private owner decades ago. If the township did not perform the capping, the federal government would have done it themselves \u2013 and sent the bill to town hall.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;We don\u2019t want to risk having to spend a fortune on a lake we never owned,&#8221; said Bergin.<\/p>\n<p>Since former mayor John Ducey was elected a decade ago, the township has stuck to a relatively-strict $8 million limit to annual capital expenditures. Adding responsibility to either remediate or develop the lake could potentially take precious funding away from other planned projects such as infrastructure improvements to other parks in town \u2013 with no choice to put it off.<\/p>\n<p>For now, the county is expected to continue its occasional maintenance on the drainage pipe, and the township will continue to utilize a special permit it holds from the state to rid the lake of invasive plants that, at one point, filled much of the lake with overgrowth and lillypads.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_23699\" style=\"width: 1010px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.shorebeat.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/godfrey_lake_brick_nj_1756-scaled.jpg\" data-rel=\"lightbox-image-5\" data-rl_title=\"\" data-rl_caption=\"\" title=\"\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-23699\" class=\"size-large wp-image-23699\" src=\"https:\/\/www.shorebeat.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/godfrey_lake_brick_nj_1756-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"Godfrey Lake, in the Herbertsville section of Brick Township, March 2024. (Photo: Shorebeat)\" width=\"1000\" height=\"563\" srcset=\"https:\/\/shorebeat.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/godfrey_lake_brick_nj_1756-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/shorebeat.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/godfrey_lake_brick_nj_1756-400x225.jpg 400w, https:\/\/shorebeat.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/godfrey_lake_brick_nj_1756-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/shorebeat.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/godfrey_lake_brick_nj_1756-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/shorebeat.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/godfrey_lake_brick_nj_1756-2048x1152.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-23699\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Godfrey Lake, in the Herbertsville section of Brick Township, March 2024. (Photo: Shorebeat)<\/p><\/div>\n<p>That is not to say, however, that taking over Godfrey Lake is completely off the table. Bergin conceded that, eventually, there will need to be a conclusion to the story.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Maybe, at some point, we will do an assessment and we\u2019ll take a deeper look into its condition, but at the same time, there\u2019s an expectation that we take ownership of neglected, problem areas,&#8221; she said. &#8220;We\u2019re thinking about it, and we\u2019re going to continue to look into it. But as far as what\u2019s on the table, taking it over is our only option.&#8221;<\/p>\n<div class=\"fcbkbttn_buttons_block\" id=\"fcbkbttn_left\"><div class=\"fb-share-button fcbkbttn_large_button \" data-href=\"https:\/\/shorebeat.com\/brick\/2024\/03\/the-curious-status-of-bricks-mystery-lake-remains-in-limbo\/\" data-type=\"button_count\" data-size=\"large\"><\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>One could imagine the perks of living beside a lake with a trail running across it: a great place to grab some fresh air, see if the fish are biting, take the dog for a walk, and maybe once or twice a year, set up a goal and play some ice hockey. But what if [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":23700,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"video","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[4,2],"tags":[24,4484,1846,27,55],"class_list":["post-23697","post","type-post","status-publish","format-video","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-life-in-brick","category-government","tag-brick-nj-news","tag-featured","tag-godfrey-lake","tag-herbertsville","tag-herbertsville-road","post_format-post-format-video"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/shorebeat.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/godfrey_lake_brick_nj_1757-scaled.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pgt2Ft-6ad","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shorebeat.com\/brick\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23697","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shorebeat.com\/brick\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shorebeat.com\/brick\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shorebeat.com\/brick\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shorebeat.com\/brick\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23697"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.shorebeat.com\/brick\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23697\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shorebeat.com\/brick\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/23700"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shorebeat.com\/brick\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23697"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shorebeat.com\/brick\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23697"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shorebeat.com\/brick\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23697"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}