For athletic fields, park, and maybe cell installation
By John Tredrea, Staff Writer
One of the few remaining grass airports in this region is poised to turn into four-six full-sized athletic fields and, further in the future, a small park.
In addition, woodlands that are part of the airport tract could be the site of a T-Mobile cell installation soon. That could mean no cell antennae atop the Trenton water tower near Brandon Farms. Those already-approved antennae brought over 100 residents to township hall Monday night to protest (see Page 1A).
Hopewell Township is getting ready to buy the Twin Pines Airport. The Township Committee unanimously introduced an ordinance enabling the purchase Tuesday night. The measure is due for a public hearing and adoption vote Dec. 10. The Weasner family, township residents who have owned the airport for decades, have agreed to sell it for $2,372,500, township officials say.
Hopewell Township, which would the hold the title to the property, would put up $610,000 of the purchase price under the proposed enabling ordinance. Lawrence Township would contribute $250,000. The rest of the price would be covered by a county grant program intended to increase recreational opportunities for Mercer residents.
Hopewell Township Administrator/Engineer Paul Pogorzelski said the grass airstrip at Twin Pines could be turned into four to six full size multipurpose fields almost immediately. Those fields could be used by organized soccer, lacrosse and field hockey teams from Hopewell Valley and Lawrence.
”It’s very flat,” Mr. Pogorzelski said of the airport. “We have very few tracts this flat in Hopewell Township.”
The flatness “lessens dramatically” the cost of getting the fields ready, Mr. Pogorzelski said. Another big plus, he added, is the top-flight condition of the turf on the airstrip. “The Weasners have done an excellent job” of keeping that turf up to the task of handling airplanes, he said.
The tract to be purchased includes an area of woodlands north of the airstrip. This area, which is bordered to the east by Mercer County Park Northwest, is where the cell tower could go, in lieu of putting antennae atop the water tower.
To comply with state environmental regulations, underground fuel and oil tanks and a small amount of contaminated soil will be removed from the airport. A semi-wooded area to the west of the airstrip will probably be used as a small park. A pond that is already there can be part of the park.
First, however, the removal of heavy equipment and old plane parts from the semi-wooded area will have to be completed. The Weasners are responsible for all cleanup work under the terms of the sale, township officials say.
The airport is bordered by Pennington-Lawrenceville Road and Federal City Road in the southeastern corner of Hopewell Township, very near the Lawrence border. A house on the property is slated to be renovated and to display mementos of the airport portion of Twin Pines’ long history.