Plan needed for municipal tract use

West Amwell Mayor Ron Shapella named nine people to a committee to decide what to do with the 104 acres that surrounds the municipal building at 150 Rocktown-Lambertville Road.

By: Linda Seida
   WEST AMWELL — Mayor Ron Shapella has appointed nine people to a new committee that is charged with recommending uses for 104 acres of township-owned land that surround the township’s administrative building.
   The members of the new Township Lands Committee come from numerous other boards, commissions and committees. They’ve been given about a year to come up with their recommendations, which they will present for consideration to the Township Committee.
   The new committee members are: Ruth Hall, chairwoman of the Historic Preservation Committee; Joan Smith of the Planning Board; David Beaumont of the West Amwell Elementary School Board of Education; Gary Robinson of the Environmental Commission and Community Forestry Committee; Hal Shute of the Agricultural Advisory Committee; former Mayor Tom Molnar, who serves on the Planning Board and the Parks and Recreation Committee; Dave Hauser of the Open Space Committee; John Hoff of the Environmental Commission; and Catherine Urbanski, who chairs the Environmental Commission and also serves on the Open Space Committee.
   Five of the new members — Ms. Hall, Ms. Smith, Mr. Beaumont, Mr. Robinson and Mr. Shute — served on a similar committee of 15 members who were charged with making a land use recommendation in 2001.
   The committee’s recommendations were "sort of shelved," Mayor Shapella said.
   The land use committee has yet to choose its chairperson, but members likely will do so at a meeting scheduled for March 26.
   Mayor Shapella is acting as the committee’s liaison to the Township Committee.
   The goal, he said, is "to promote community values, to promote sustainable agriculture and to promote natural areas. They’re very energized and excited about it. I think it’s going to produce something good for the township."
   At least half of the 104-acre parcel is currently being farmed by Fulper Farms LLC. Its agreement to farm the land free of charge expires in May 2008. Some of the rest of the land is wooded. The rest is the large lawn adjacent to the township building.
   At an Environmental Commission meeting Feb. 26, the community was invited to discuss ideas and concerns for the land.
   That evening, Mr. Beaumont said the original plan included setting aside a parcel for a possible future middle school. While there are no plans for a new school, future development in the township could have ramifications. Mr. Hoff said a land bank for the school should remain in any future plan.
   That evening, Ms. Hall said the original plan was to keep the acreage in as natural a state as possible. She said the original plan included hiking trails, fairgrounds and farming some of the land but only in conjunction with the high school’s agricultural classes.
   Mr. Hauser suggested allowing small areas to be used by the high school for educational purposes. He also said organic farming is the fastest growing form of agriculture, and it is profitable and sustainable.
   On the table now are discussions about turning the land into wildlife habitats, hiking trails, agricultural uses for the high school or as income-generating plots to help the plan become financially self-sustaining.
   Grants to fund the venture will be investigated, including a WHIP grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service, according to Ms. Urbanski.
   WHIP stands for Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program. The grants are primarily for the development and improvement of wildlife habitats, and they can cover up to 75 percent of costs and last from five to 10 years.