By Audrey Levine Staff Writer
Committee approves resolutions on property
HILLSBOROUGH — The Township Committee unanimously approved several resolutions advancing the purchase of the 369-acre General Services Administration Belle Mead Depot on Mountain View Road, Tuesday.
”This is for things that will enhance Hillsborough,” Committeeman Bob Wagner said at the meeting. “This is where you live, this is for your benefit.”
Originally, contracts signed in October 2007, set the terms for the township and county to buy the GSA Depot from the federal government’s General Services Administration for a total of $17.5 million, specifying the site as 438 acres. The acreage, originally estimated through tax maps and the federal government, was adjusted after a survey by Maser Consulting found the property is 369.291 acres.
Consequently, the committee approved a resolution on Tuesday reducing the price to $15.735 million, which will be split between the township and Somerset County, per another approved resolution, authorizing the joint purchase.
The resolution also authorizes the creation of a four-person committee made up of the Hillsborough and county administrators, and designees of the Township Committee and Board of Chosen Freeholders to oversee the purchase, remediation, development and maintenance of the property.
| Democratic candidate’s query
leads to heated exchange Manny Foranoce, a Democratic candidate for the Township Committee, questioned the possibility of additional cleanup costs at the GSA depot for contamination below the 8 feet of concrete that has already been examined by the township and county. ”If the cleanup costs more than $20 million, who will pay for it?” he asked. “How did we determine that no cleanup was needed below the 8 feet of concrete?” Mayor Anthony Ferrera, who is one of the Republican candidates running for the Township Committee, said the township should move forward with the purchase, and characterized Mr. Foranoce’s comments as wanting to delay the process. ”I am trying to keep politics out,” Mayor Ferrera said angrily. “But to say ‘delay, delay’ to meet a platform isn’t fair to the residents.” Mr. Foranoce did not respond to Mayor Ferrera’s comment. In addition, Mr. Foranoce cited a letter from Gov. Jim McGreevey’s office dated February 2005, stating the GSA is ultimately responsible for the cleanup, and the state would not participate in the cleanup of such a property. Township Administrator Kevin Davis responded that, if the governor signs a Finding of Suitability for Early Transfer (FOSET), the property can be transferred to any entity without the remediation having been complete. The only catch, he said, is that the purchasing entity must agree to handle the cleanup, which the township is preparing to do. Following the approvals of the resolutions to move the purchase forward, Mayor Ferrera said that the purpose of the evening’s business was to take the next step in the purchase. ”We are not delaying moving forward with the GSA property,” he said. “We don’t want housing (on that property). Just to be clear, we are moving forward.” |
”We are sharing the costs for the purchase and remediation of the property,” Mayor Anthony Ferrera said. “This resolution establishes a method for managing the purchase.”
Peter Palmer, director of the Somerset County Board of Chosen Freeholders, and Freeholder Robert Zaborowski were present at the meeting, and expressed their support for the agreement.
”This is very important, the 369-acre property is heavily polluted,” Mr. Zaborowski said. “I fully support what we are doing and look forward to working with the township.”
Mayor Ferrera said the county is planning to consider these resolutions at a meeting next week.
In a third resolution, the Township Committee recommended that Gov. Jon Corzine approve a “Finding of Suitability for Early Transfer” (FOSET) to transfer the property to the joint control of the township and county before the environmental remediation on the contaminated property begins.
According to Mayor Ferrera, the township approved a resolution in 2004 to oppose early transfer and ensure that private bidders could not buy the property. The new resolution rescinds the 2004 directive, to allow the township and county to move forward with the purchase before the remediation.
The final resolution approved allows the township to execute an escrow agreement with the federal government for remediation of the property, which was originally approved by the federal General Services Administration in October 2007.
With the agreement, the $15.735 million that will be used to purchase the property will be placed in two separate escrow accounts for joint use by the township and county to clean the property. Township Clerk Kevin Davis said earlier this year that one account will be used to clean areas where the contamination has been completely defined, and the remainder will be used in locations where contamination has not been entirely determined.
According to Robert Zelley, director of environmental services for Maser Consulting, the cleanup cost has been estimated by the township and county to be about $20 million. He said the federal government estimated the cleanup will only cost about $11.8 million.
Mr. Zelley said that the township and county will seek brownfields funding to pay for additional cleanup costs, if necessary. Brownfields grants reimburse up to 75 percent of cleanup costs, and Mr. Zelley said the township and county could receive up to $15 million in grant money if additional funds for the cleanup are needed.
”This is a beneficial agreement for Hillsborough,” he said. “All costs will be covered.”
According to plans for the property, about 321 acres are being set aside for parks and recreation purposes, while the remaining 48 acres will be set aside for development as a research and development zone.
”This will give the potential to put the property on the tax rolls,” Mr. Zelley said.
Currently, Mr. Zelley said, there about 18 areas of environmental concerns on the property, with low concentrations of priority pollutant metals and 160,000 yards of reinforced concrete, among other problems. Still, he said he does not expect any surprises on the property when the remediation begins, and it is anticipated to be completed in 12 to 18 months after all the paperwork for the purchase is completed.
”The required remedial work is manageable,” he said.
Bruce Rydel, of CME Associates, presented the beginnings of a plan for redevelopment on the property, since the Planning Board and Township Committee have already determined the depot to be in need of redevelopment. Although the plans have not been engineered yet, fields for softball, baseball and other sports; parking; and a loop road around the entire facility are in draft plans.
Mr. Rydel said the buildings will also be certified with a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating, for consideration of sustainable green building and development practices.
Former Committeeman Paul Drake asked the committee how much construction and other plans will cost once the remediation is completed and the township can move forward.
”We have to be able to go to the community with a plan,” he said. “We can’t wait until the property is clean to come up with one.”
Mayor Ferrera said formal planning will begin soon, but the main focus is cleaning the property and moving forward with the purchase between the township and county.
”I would much rather have green grass there, and preserve that land until we can afford it (if we have to),” he said.
Deputy Mayor Frank DelCore said the most important piece right now is securing the purchase.
”The issue of a plan is one that needs to be considered, but it doesn’t need to be considered tonight,” he said Tuesday. “The focus has to be on the securing the property tonight. We have to get that going because we don’t want the dirty property.”

