Officials stated that the construction at southern end of Bordentown Township near Rising Sun Road was out of compliance with soil erosion and sediment controls.
By: Eve Collins
BORDENTOWN TOWNSHIP Three developers in the township were ordered on Monday by state and county officials to stop work on their projects.
Officials with the Burlington County Soil Conservation District issued the orders near Crystal Lake stating that the construction was out of compliance with soil erosion and sediment controls.
Three developments are being constructed at the southern end of the township near Rising Sun Road. The Central Crossings Business Park project with four warehouses totaling 1.68 million square feet, the Meadow Run development with 164 houses, and The Grande at Crystal Lake development with 255 houses all are being constructed near the lake.
Brian Wilson with soil conservation said the Meadow Run development was in compliance and back to work on Wednesday, but the other two are still making improvements. "The stop is determined by the effort put forth" by workers, Mr. Wilson said. "The developers understand and have been cooperative."
Harry Kantor, president of Kor Companies, the developer of the warehouses, said he received the order Monday, and that workers at that site are concentrating exclusively on completing detention basins that prevent soil erosion.
"The winter has been very severe and closed in on us," Mr. Kantor said and explained that workers would be completing those before continuing with construction.
Representatives with the other de- velopers could not be reached for comment.
The Tallon family, longtime Mansfield residents on Axe Factory Road, are seeing those developments sprout in their backyard and are concerned about what affect they are having on the environment.
"I guess I got to the right people to stir things up," said Terri Tallon-Hammill, who has been talking with state and county officials about the area.
Mansfield residents have been vocal about the issues concerning the developments, which all are being built on the border of the two townships.
One issue that concerned several residents is a pair of bald eagles that have been seen foraging for fish in Crystal Lake. The American bald eagle is protected under the Federal Endangered Species Act, the Federal Bald Eagle Act and the New Jersey State Endangered Species Act.
The Grande project was forced to create a 300-foot buffer between the development and the lake in 2002, which eliminated 13 houses from that project.
Ms. Tallon-Hammill, her mother, Dr. Marion Tallon; and her brother Bob Tallon all say they have seen the eagles in the immediate area surrounding Crystal Lake, along with other threatened species such as the redheaded woodpecker and the wood turtle.
They have also said that the sediment caused by the three developments has settled in the lake, causing a body of water that was once 3 or 4 feet deep to become only a few inches deep.
"I would love to see the developers have to clean that up," said Dr. Tallon, who is a member of the Mansfield Township Board of Education.
Mr. Kantor said measures had been taken at the Central Crossings site to prevent damage to the environment, and that he has been working with state and county officials to optimize erosion controls.
The Tallon family was scheduled to go before the Mansfield Township Committee at its meeting on Wednesday (after the Register News deadline) with their concerns about the area.
"There are so many human resources, personal power and talent here that can do so much for this township," Dr. Tallon said.