Officials praise open space program

Township officials and residents gathered at Northern Community Park May 9 to celebrate the municipality’s achievements in open space preservation.

By: Eve Collins
   Mayor George Chidley opened the ceremony, attended by about 20 people, with a reminder of what the township has achieved.
   "Over the past few years we have put together a plan and taken strides to complete it," he said.
   The Burlington County Board of Chosen Freeholders agreed in March to share the $5 million cost of preserving the property at Bordentown-Chesterfield and Hogback roads, the township’s most recent acquisition.
   The 83-acre parcel had originally been targeted for 76 new houses, officials said. Property owner Stephen Samost instead decided to sell the property to the township, which is now evaluating it for recreational uses.
   The addition of 76 new houses would have stressed the township’s infrastructures, including the school system, officials said.
   The acquisition is being funded by a $2.5 million Green Acres grant. The remainder of the cost will be shared equally by the county and township, officials said.
   The Township Committee has been working with the Open Space Advisory Committee to improve the quality of life for residents by linking neighborhoods to open space, parks and recreation areas, township officials said.
   Mayor Chidley said residents are separated by roads and waterways throughout the township, making travel through the area difficult.
   Present at the ceremony was County Clerk Phillip Haines, who praised the township, saying the open space program is a time-consuming process.
   "This county has taken a strong lead in open space preservation," he said. "It’s good to see that Bordentown Township has taken a strong interest."
   The Open Space Advisory Committee also is targeting land near the Delaware River and along Black’s Creek, and in February the Township Committee passed a resolution to petition Gov. James E. McGreevey and the state Legislature to make the Crosswicks Watershed area a state park.
   Mayor Chidley said he has asked the mayors of Mansfield and Chesterfield townships, Bordentown City and Fieldsboro Borough to pass similar resolutions. So far, Bordentown City officials have passed one.
   Earlier this year the township also bought an 81.5-acre tract once slated for the 127-house Federal Estates development. The parcel, located on Georgetown Road near the Clifton Mills development, cost $3.9 million.
   The township will be partially reimbursed, receiving 50 percent of the cost from the Green Acres program and 25 percent from the county, township officials said. The land will be preserved as a corridor between Clifton Mills and the New Jersey Turnpike, township officials have said.
   Green Acres funds also will be used for projects in Northern Community Park, including improvements to tennis courts and picnic areas and dredging the park’s pond.
   Mayor Chidley closed the ceremony by saying the open space initiative is one that will take some time.
   "We have to look forward 10 or 20 years," he said. "Future generations will appreciate what we have done."