Pieces to One Mile Road open space puzzle fitting together
By: Michael Arges
EAST WINDSOR – Even when a town has been granted funding, acquiring open space is much more than just writing a check.
At its Aug. 29 meeting East Windsor Township Council moved toward acquiring two parcels of land for open space, a day before Gov. Christie Whitman signed legislation authorizing much of the money that will used to close the sale.
The two parcels include a 30-acre lot on One Mile Road and one of about 16 acres located on Bear Brook west of the intersection between Route 130 and Maple Stream Road. Last week’s discussion specified the details of what acreage the township plans to buy.
The property on One Mile Road includes a house and surrounding land that council wants to be excluded from the purchase because of the condition of the house and grant restrictions.
According to Mayor Janice Mironov, the house is in need of "significant restoration" to be suitable for any purpose. She added that agreeing to purchase the house may not only cause problems with some of the grants that will be used to pay for the purchase, but also add a burden to the community.
"We don’t want to take on that financial obligation and, furthermore, if we were to leave the house as part of our acquisition, it would significantly tie our hands in all respects," Mayor Mironov said in a later conversation.
She left open the possibility that the township might later wish to acquire the house property separately. The township also would like to change a lot line to include a stand of trees surrounding the house with the structure.
"We will ask the owners to carve those out as part of the property included with the house with the feeling that it will make that house more valuable and more attractive to a potential taker," Mayor Mironov said.
A large portion of the funding for the two parcels will come from a $1 million grant from the Garden State Preservation Trust announced on April 18. The grant was part of legislation signed by Gov. Whitman last week.
That money will be combined with a $500,000 grant already received from the Garden State Preservation Trust by East Windsor Green Space Inc., a private, non-profit agency devoted to preserving East Windsor open space.
Mercer County will complete the funding with a 15 percent matching grant from the Municipal Assistance Program.
The township will be obtaining site assessments and appraisals as required by the terms of the grants.