West Windsor to restore site to 1910 state
By Greg Forester Staff Writer
WEST WINDSOR — A crucial step in restoring the Schenck Farmstead to its 1910 heyday will be the creation of a final site plan for the property over the next few months, township officials said Wednesday.
The site plan spells out the exact layout of the site in its final form. Officials said it would be built on a foundation of previous documents drafted by Township Council members, along with input from other officials and the West Windsor Historical Society, which operates activities at the historical site.
The document will be drafted simultaneously with the ongoing restoration being applied to several of the property’s structures.
Township Council recently awarded contracts for work on the site planned for late 2007 and early 2008, and officials said the next capital budget providing funding for work at the site should be the last, bringing completion to the renovation and reconstruction of the property’s historic structures, and the addition of modern site improvements.
”The council has asked that I provide them with a final number to completely finish the restoration,” said Land Use Division Manager Sam Surtees. “It will get the barn completely done, complete the carriage house, and complete the schoolhouse. We’re spending money quickly.”
The property’s final site plan, to be created during the winter months, will dictate the location of the farm’s schoolhouse, and the appearance of a new parking lot, restroom facilities, and other structures, according to Councilwoman Heidi Kleinman.
”No decision is being rendered until there is an overall site plan,” said Ms. Kleinman Wednesday. “We will have a robust discussion about these items.”
The site plan will be based upon some previous documents, including a memo drafted by Ms. Kleinman, feedback from the Historical Society, and input from township officials, Business Administrator Christopher Marion said.
The memorandum of understanding will dictate the site’s activities and responsibilities of both the township and the Historical Society for the Southfield Road property, Mr. Marion said.
”It will clarify our relationship, and stipulate what our agreement is,” said Mr. Marion. “It solidifies exactly what the expectations for the site going forward.”
Contracts awarded by council two weeks ago — which were discussed again during a township meeting Monday — went to extend the contract of Kyle Paul Van Dyke Architecture, the project’s architect and manager, and to the New Jersey Barn Company.
The New Jersey Barn Company will dismantle the property’s schoolhouse for refurbishing, work on the Schenck Farmstead’s barn, and some additional work on the site’s carriage house.
The schoolhouse will not simply be dismantled, according to Land Use Division Manager Sam Surtees.
”Within the next 30 days the building will be taken down, analyzed, and the pieces will be shipped off site to be restored over the course of the winter,” Mr. Surtees said.
Some residents living near the property expressed concern over the possibility of high-powered lighting being used at the site during nighttime hours.
There were also some concerns about the aesthetics of the site, which up until recently had some large blue tarpaulins and other features deemed undesirable by residents speaking at a recent Township Council meeting.
But Mr. Surtees said the blue tarpaulin has since been removed, and lights being used at the site currently were not spotlights, but seven-foot parking lights of the 100-watt variety, weaker than regular streetlights.
Some other upcoming developments for the project will be the opening of bidding for work on the farmstead’s shed at Township Council’s Dec. 17 Meeting.

