By sue m. morgan
Staff Writer
OLD BRIDGE — The township is expected to spend $250,000 to buy the former Nike missile site for open space.
The Township Council voted unanimously Monday night to adopt an ordinance authorizing the purchase of the 41-acre tract from the U.S. government.
A separate bond ordinance was introduced that would permit the township to spend $250,000 on the sale. It also received a unanimous vote. A public hearing and final adoption on the bond ordinance is scheduled for the next public meeting Aug. 11.
Funds are available to make a down payment on the land, township Business Administrator Alayne Shepler said.
The old Nike missile site is located off Route 9 south on the north side of Jake Brown Road.
It consists of two parcels, one 35-acre tract and one 6-acre tract. A narrow road transverses the site.
Twelve abandoned, ranch-style homes, once used for military housing, are slated for demolition at a cost that was included in the price, Shepler said.
Though the township is purchasing the property for open space preservation, one township official has suggested that the former U.S. Army site be considered as a possible second entrance to the planned Peter A. Mannino Park. The site is located just north of the as-yet undeveloped township park, located on Route 516 westbound.
Councilman Dennis Maher has proposed using Jake Brown Road as an access road through the property in order to allow motorists coming from Route 9 south to enter the 165-acre park.
By taking Jake Brown Road through the Nike missile site, motorists also would be able to access the YMCA facility that the township expects to build inside Mannino Park, Maher has said.
In addition, the site is located south of 2,000 acres owned by local developer John J. Brunetti, whose application to build a 1,504-unit residential development is pending Planning Board approval.
Michael Caffrey, chairman of the township’s open space committee, recommended in December that the township buy the land for open space preservation due to its proximity to Brunetti’s land.
Caffrey advised the council to buy the land as soon as possible in order to prevent any subsequent development in the event Brunetti receives Planning Board approval for his development, called Oaks at Glenwood.