Lawrence would join Hopewell Borough and Township, and Pennington in purchase
By Lea Kahn, Staff Writer
Lawrence Township Council has introduced a bond ordinance that would allocate $225,000 toward its share of the purchase of the Twin Pines Airport on the Lawrenceville-Pennington Road in Hopewell Township.
Lawrence Township is chipping in to buy the 50-acre parcel with Hopewell Township to develop it into as many as eight athletic fields, which would be shared by the two townships and Pennington and Hopewell boroughs.
Township Council introduced the bond ordinance at its Dec. 6 meeting. The council had approved a bond ordinance of $250,000 toward the purchase price in June. The additional money is needed to help pay for the property.
A public hearing on the bond ordinance is planned for Township Council’s Dec. 18 meeting.
Hopewell Township approved a $610,000 bond ordinance to cover its share of the purchase price Monday night. Lawrence Township would be contributing a total of $475,000 toward the purchase price.
The Weasner family, which owns the Twin Pines Airport property, has agreed to sell the land for $2.3 million. Mercer County has agreed to pay $1.2 million toward the purchase price, and Lawrence and Hopewell townships will contribute the rest of the money.
Also last week, the Mercer County Board of Chosen Freeholders adopted a resolution to contribute $1.9 million toward the development of athletic fields and other amenities like parking lots on the land through the Mercer at Play grant program.
The additional athletic fields are needed because Lawrence does not have enough, according to township officials. Most of the Lawrence Township Recreation Department-sponsored programs use the fields at township-owned Central Park and Village Park.
The Recreation Department also uses athletic fields at the Lawrence Intermediate School, Lawrence Middle School and Lawrence High School. The grassy areas behind the New Jersey Army National Guard Armory on Eggerts Crossing Road also are used.
During soccer season, the Recreation Department uses five fields at the armory, three at LIS, three at Village Park and three at Central Park. The constant use means the fields do not get time to recover. Creating additional fields would take the pressure and constant use off those currently in use, township officials said.
Township officials have been searching for ways to meet the need for additional recreational and athletic fields for years.
Former Municipal Manager William Guhl contacted Mercer County officials in 2005 to find out whether the county would be interested in selling or leasing a 35-acre portion of Mercer County Park Northwest to Lawrence for athletic fields. The site is located on the corner of Keefe and Lawrenceville-Pennington roads.
Action was never taken on the controversial proposal, which would have put Lawrence farmer Ted Wilk out of business. Mr. Wilk, who owns the Little Acres Farm Market on Lawrenceville-Pennington Road, leases the land from Mercer County and grows crops on it.
Mercer County Park Northwest includes land in Lawrence and Hopewell townships. The original portion of the county park is Rosedale Park, off Federal City Road in Hopewell Township.
Hopewell Valley News Staff Writer John Tredrea contributed to this report.

