News and happenings from the mayor of Plumsted Township.
By: Ron Dancer
With the financial assistance of a $1.25 million grant the Township Committee obtained from the state’s Green Acres program, Plumsted will purchase an additional 80 acres of wooded uplands that will be saved from development.
An estimated 55 acres of the 80 is located in an area behind the Marshall’s Corner Restaurant and Noble Estates on Route 528; and west of Route 539 and Blanche Drive. This area is known as the Pinehurst Preservation zone and the 55 acres to be acquired by the Township Committee are the first of a targeted 250 acres.
The remaining 25 acres of the 80 to be saved from development is located in a wooded area behind the developments of Stone Hill, Plum Ridge, Country Acres and Laurel Woods that have access from Hopkins Road and Tower Road. This area is known as the Coastal Divide Preservation zone and the 25 acres to be acquired by the Township Committee will be added to the 113 acres already preserved with another 25 acres pending a closing shortly.
The Township Committee has targeted 400 acres in this Coastal Divide Preservation area and, with this acquisition, will have saved 163 acres from development.
In addition to saving the woodlands from development, the Township Committee has helped preserve more than 2,000 acres of our farmland. With an estimated 2,500 acres of wood and farmland preserved to date, Plumsted has preserved more land than any of the other 32 municipalities in Ocean County. Local resident, Robert Hardy, a longtime member of Plumsted’s zoning board, has been appointed as a volunteer consultant to assist the Township Committee in acquiring more land for preservation.
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The Township Committee has expanded our recycling center services to include Wednesday afternoons from 1 to 7 p.m. in addition to the regular Saturday hours of 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. The container service for non-recyclable bulk items is also being offered on Wednesdays, by appointment only, during the after work hours of 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. for residents who cannot make the Saturday morning hours. Residents must call our township office at 758-2241 for an appointment prior to the end of business hours, 5 p.m., on Tuesdays.
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The next regularly scheduled meeting and citizen comment period with Township Committee members Ken Francis, Ada Roberts, Bonnie Quesnel and Deputy Mayor Joe Przywara, is May 13. Residents can preview our business agenda, to the extent known, 48 hours prior to the meeting on our Web site: www.plumsted.org. The township’s Web site also features an e-mail link for residents to directly communicate with your mayor and committee and listen to your concerns on a daily basis.
To schedule a home visit by the mayor at a mutually convenient time, contact the township or mayor.
Ron Dancer is the mayor of Plumsted Township. He can be reached at 758-2241, township; 758-3497, home; or by e-mail at [email protected].