Township eyeing open space
purchase near Durand Park
By linda denicola
Staff Writer
FREEHOLD TOWNSHIP — If all goes as expected, Durand Park, Randolph Road, will be expanded and additional open space will be preserved on the east side of the community.
Municipal officials have introduced three ordinances that would allow them to purchase the 6-acre property and several buildings at 261 Randolph Road for $1.2 million.
The first ordinance authorizes a contract of sale; the second authorizes a bond ordinance that provides an appropriation of $800,000 and authorizes the issuance of $760,000 in bonds or notes; and the third provides for an appropriation of $600,000 and authorizes the issuance of $570,000 in bonds or notes.
Each ordinance includes money for down payments already available in the capital improvement budget.
Mayor Raymond Kershaw said it was necessary to separate the purchase of the land from the purchase of the two houses and a barn because the township is going to seek state Green Acres money for purchasing the property, but not for the buildings.
"We expect to get Green Acres money for the procurement of the land, but we didn’t want to use it for the two houses and a barn because we don’t know what we want to do with the houses yet," he said.
The $800,000 appropriation is for the land, and the $600,000 appropriation includes the barn and two houses.
"We put in a little extra money in case we have to do something with the houses," he said.
Deputy Mayor Anthony Ammiano said the owners of the property wanted to sell so township officials looked into the possibility of obtaining the property because they didn’t want to see another residential development at that location.
"It’s adjacent to Durand Park and with the opening of Opatut Park (East Freehold Road and Route 79) we can use the barn and keep equipment there so that park crews won’t have to go across town to Tighe Park," he said.
According to Committeeman David Salkin, the property, currently owned by Robert W. and Nancy Anne Mueller, surrounds Durand Park and will be used for open space and recreational purposes.
He added that the barn on the property will be used for storage of recreational equipment.
Kershaw explained that residents have approved two open space referendums: one in 1996 for a 1-cent assessment and another in 2000 for an additional 1-cent assessment per $100 of assessed valuation.
The owner of a home assessed at $200,000 pays about $40 per year to the town’s open space fund.
The owner of a home assessed at $300,000 pays about $60 per year into the fund.
He said Freehold Township collects about $560,000 annually through the special assessment and that money is set aside for open space acquisitions.
"With that we can pay off the bonds," the mayor said.
About four years ago, the township acquired a small piece near Lake Topanemus that was included in the park, Kershaw said.
"Last year, we bought a big piece, along with the Trust for Public Land and Monmouth County. It included 1,200 acres in the southern part of Freehold Township and another 400 acres in Jackson," he said, noting that the Trust for Public Land rounds up funding to buy land for public open space.
"We have something like 7,300 acres of public open space and we’re only 25,000 acres," Kershaw said.
"That’s almost a third of the town already," he added.