BY Maria Prato-Gaines, Staff Writer
CRANBURY —Officials are holding an auction to lease two preserved, township-owned properties, only this time extending the previous one-year contracts to five-year contracts on both parcels.
A “right to farm” auction for the Frosztega and Fischer properties are scheduled for March 20 at 10 a.m. in the municipal building’s meeting room.
”This gives them the right to farm the land and sell the results,” said Christine Smeltzer, township administrator. “Fortunately, it also gives us the right to see (that) it’s used for farming.”
Ms. Smeltzer said the township has decided to extend the contract to avoid the hassle of the yearly auctions as well as decrease township spending.
”It’s easier to put it out for multiple years instead of doing it every year,” she said. “It also saves us some money because we have to advertise (the auction) each year.”
Last year, the township only received two offers, both from the same bidder in the amounts of $200 for the Fischer property and $100 for the Frosztega property, which they accepted, said Kathy Cunningham, municipal clerk.
”The township over the years has acquired these two properties that are basically preserved,” Ms. Smeltzer said. “They will never be developed, but we need to have farmers cultivating them.”
The Fischer property, which was preserved in 2004, is located on South Main Street and is approximately 52.88 acres, Ms. Cunningham said.
The Frosztega property, which was preserved in 2002, is located on North Main Street and is approximately 60.01 acres, some of which is made up of wetlands, she said.
Once a bid is accepted, the township does not stipulate what type of agriculture can be cultivated on the land, Ms. Smeltzer said.
For more information on the auction, interested parties can contact township officials at 609-395-0900.

