To the editor:
For once, wouldn’t it be grand if everyone did the right thing?
Preserving the Pulda Farm in South Brunswick from development just might be the golden opportunity for one of those fairy tale happy endings to come true. There are certainly plenty of people who would like to see it happen.
The township Open Space Committee has had the farm on its priority list for quite a while and seems to think preserving it would benefit South Brunswick. The farm also is listed in the Master Plan as an Agricultural Development Area, meaning that it is considered worthy of farmland preservation.
As a PA5 zone under the New Jersey Smart Growth Plan, the farm is designated as environmentally sensitive and should certainly be protected from industrial development. The Lawrence Brook Watershed Partnership, a group overseeing the water quality in our area believes protecting the farm from any kind of development would serve the good of the underlying aquifer and nearby wetlands.
The state Green Acres program has an interest, as well, in preserving the land as an extension and finishing edge of the adjacent Pigeon Swamp State Park. And, recent information about the historic significance of the farm house has inspired interest from various historic preservation groups throughout the state.
Wouldn’t it be grand if the Morris Companies, the contract buyer, and the Puldas could join in this effort to preserve instead of develop? Certainly, the owner deserves to profit from his land, but perhaps some of that profit could be in good will and a sense of community benefit transcending the sole pursuit of money.
What if the state, the county, and the township managed to work together to make a fair offer in purchasing the land? What if a portion of the farm could be restored to its historic roots for citizens of South Brunswick to cherish and visit, bringing their children to see what life was once like in Colonial America? What if some Scouts took on the project of restoring the graveyard? What if some "green thumbs" in the township could lease a little plot of land to have their own organic farm there? What if the farmer who is currently leasing the land could still grow his crops on the bulk of the land and make a profit when the energy industry begins developing alternative fuels from corn or soybeans? What if there could still be a lovely horseback riding trail around the perimeter of the property so riders could enjoy the fresh air and sunshine of our open space? What if for once, everyone did the right thing and found a way to preserve this valuable resource for all of us to treasure.
Our township Master Plan sees the Pulda farm as a valuable resource of open space. Wouldn’t it be grand if that vision could become a reality, just this once?
Jean E. Dvorak
South Brunswick
