By Audrey Levine, Staff Writer
About 34 years after an inventory was last done, the township is now taking steps to reassess both positive and negative environmental factors affecting Hillsborough.
The Township Committee unanimously approved a resolution Tuesday to authorize the submission of an application for a 2009 Association of New Jersey Environmental Commissions Grant (ANJEC) for the purpose of updating Hillsborough’s Natural Resources Inventory.
The most recent inventory, Mayor Frank DelCore said, was done in 1975, and there have been many changes in the land since then, which need to be documented.
”I would expect there will be a lot of changes from the 1975 report,” said Neil Julian, chair of the township’s Environmental Commission. “There is a lot more open space and a lot more buildings now.”
The township is looking to get a matching $8,000 grant to help with the cost of performing the inventory.
”This will update potential land resources,” Mr. Julian said. “It is an important tool.”
According to Township Planner Bob Ringelheim, the purpose of the inventory is to take a “snapshot” of the township’s environmental features in an effort to help with development in the future.
”We can then see where we can build,” he said. “It will define more sensitive areas.”
The inventory, which Mr. Ringelheim said is used to identify scarce environmental resources, can be applied to land use policies as it will allow the township to see areas which are prone to flooding and other environmental issues that could serve as constraints for building in the future.
In a separate interview, Mr. Ringelheim said the inventory will look at general trends with regard to wetlands, slopes and other topographical issues based on the aerial photography.
”We will look at where the constraints are,” he said. “Then we will use it to base master plan decisions. For example, where the soil has a high water table, maybe we will limit the number of basements built.”
The inventory will cover information about open space, land use cover and important natural resources. In addition, according to Mayor DelCore, having a completed inventory will be essential to applying for future grants.
According to Mr. Julian, in a separate interview, the inventory will be done in two phases, first with a preparation of the geographic information systems map, and then with a narrative report analyzing the environmental concerns and implications.
The report itself, Mr. Julian said, will include information about history of the area, climatology, soil, water resources, wetlands, flood plains, air quality, land use, open space and wildlife, among other issues.
At this point, Mr. Julian said, he has started preparing the grant application, and after that process is completed, the township will go out to bid for a consultant to work with the Environmental Commission on preparing the inventory. In total, he said, he expects the project will take about a year to complete.
Mr. Ringelheim said the township can expect to receive word about the grant by the end of May, and will hopefully have a consultant in place in June.
Tom O’Donnell, of Anne Street, said at the committee meeting that he would like the township to consider the Roycebrook Golf Course when preparing its new inventory, and possibly include information about that property, especially in light of environmental concerns for the area that have recently been discussed.
”I think this is a great opportunity to look into the golf course,” he said. “I’d like to see the township look into acquiring it.”
With its current zoning for office and commercial development, Mr. O’Donnell said, he is concerned about the possibilities of building on that land.
”Right now, it’s at risk with how it’s zoned,” he said.
Mr. Ringelheim said, in a separate interview, that the township is not necessarily focusing on any one particular property, but will look at Hillsborough as a whole.
”This is a general town-wide study,” he said.
Still, Mr. Julian said, this concern and any others can be presented at Environmental Commission meetings or at two public meetings that will be held in the future to discuss the inventory itself.
”We will have a kick-off meeting and get the public involved,” he said. “We are certainly willing to work with the residents on the plan.”
Although he said he does not know why another inventory has not been done since 1975, Mr. Julian believes this is the first time the grant money has been made available.
Once completed, however, the inventory will be included in the township’s Master Plan, Mr. Julian said.
”This will be a tool to use for Hillsborough to plan and know what we have,” he said. “We can see what environmental issues and concerns there are, and what environmental resources we have.”

