By:Jeff Mikalaitis
NORTH HANOVER – The Township Committee agreed last week to have a 116-acre property appraised so it can acquire the property for use as a park.
The property, which contains two lakes and a 6,000-square-foot house, is owned by the Gale family and located off Cookstown-New Egypt Road.
The township will seek three different total cost scenarios from the appraisers.
The first will include the house in the appraised value.
The second scenario would give the appraised land value without the house and 2 to 3 acres.
The third scenario would give the approximate value of the property without the house, 3 acres and a subdivided piece of land across from one of the lakes.
Mayor John Kocubinski said two to three houses could be built in this area.
This would help the township meet the Gales’ asking price for the land. He said the asking price is unknown at this time.
Another option that would help the township meet the asking price is the possibility the Burlington County Parks Commission may purchase the property’s house for use as an office.
Mayor Kocubinski said while he is hopeful this will happen, the township is only in the "talking stages" with the county.
The township received a $475,000 open space grant from the county in June to help acquire the property.
The $475,000 is part of a total of $6.7 million that was handed out to nine municipalities and two nonprofit organizations as part of the first round of local open space grants given out under the county’s Open Space Preservation Trust Fund.
Mayor Kocubinski said the county would pay 25 percent of the property’s value.
The township hopes for the state to cover 50 percent of the costs with a companion grant.
The township is eligible to apply for a companion grant because of its dedicated open space tax of 2 cents per $100 of assessed property value.
That would leave the township’s cost share at 25 percent.
Mayor Kocubinski said he plans to inquire about the possibility of the township receiving a 2 percent simple interest loan for its cost share.
He said it was important for the township to move forward with the appraisal process, and that the township should not pass up the opportunity to acquire the land.
The appraisal process could cost the township up to $8,000.
