Lawrence seeks 3.1-acre parcel on Helen Avenue

Property is adjacent to other township-owned land.

By: Lea Kahn
   With little fanfare, Township Council introduced an ordinance Tuesday night that would allow it to purchase a 3.1-acre parcel of land on Helen Avenue for open space preservation.
   The Lawrence Columbian Lodge, which owns the parcel, would be paid $130,000. The heavily wooded tract of land is adjacent to two parcels that the township bought last fall — also for open space preservation.
   A public hearing on the ordinance to acquire the Columbian Lodge parcel will be held at Township Council’s Feb. 18 meeting.
   It is important for the township to acquire the Columbian Lodge parcel for conservation purposes, Municipal Manager William Guhl said. The parcel abuts the two tracts that the township already owns, and it also abuts the Shabakunk Creek. Combined, the three parcels total 7 acres, he said.
   There are no plans to develop the land for active recreation, Mr. Guhl said. There is not enough land to accommodate a baseball field or soccer fields. It could be preserved as open space or possibly a small park, but township officials would seek neighborhood input before creating a park, he said.
   "If anything, it could be a neighborhood playground — but only if the neighbors agree on it," Mr. Guhl said. The council has committed to seeking neighbors’ input before any decisions are made, he added.
   Although Township Council plans to pay for the land through money in its open space fund, it expects to file for a grant from the Green Acres Program in the state Department of Environmental Protection. The township would seek $65,000 — half the cost of the purchase, Mr. Guhl said.
   There is money set aside in the Green Acres Program’s municipal assistance program for that purpose, he said. The township also is seeking reimbursement for half of the $310,000 purchase price of the two parcels on Helen Avenue that it acquired last fall.