37th farm to be preserved

PLUMSTED — The Ocean County Board of Freeholders has given the goahead for the 28-acre Krowicki farm to be enrolled in the farmland preservation program.

This marks the 37th farm in Plumsted to gain farmland preservation status. The farm will be protected from future development, according to Mayor Ron Dancer.

The Krowicki farm, on Route 539 south of Long Swamp Road, will have its developmental value purchased by Ocean County and the State Agriculture Development Committee for $714,000, the mayor reported.

Dancer said that in Plumsted, agriculture is an integral part of the local economy, providing jobs and tax revenue while keeping the community rural and affordable.

The mayor said the township has a growing multimillion-dollar agri-tourism industry of tax ratables with its farmers markets and buildings on you-pick fresh fruit and vegetable farms, horse and dairy farms, Christmas tree and nursery tree farms, greenhouse and sod farms, vineyard and winery farms with bed and breakfast inns.

Dancer said farmers pay full taxes on their buildings and only receive a reduced assessment on the farmland itself.

To date, more than 3,000 acres of farm and woodlands have been preserved in Plumsted.

Environmentally, he said, the land preservation programs help preserve the township’s rural character, water supply and quality of life.

Economically, the preservation programs have prevented the construction of more than 2,000 homes to save taxpayers millions in school taxes and public services, according to the mayor.

In other news, weather permitting, the Ocean County Engineering Department is striving to have the Route 539 and Route 528 intersection open and to discontinue the detour prior to the Labor Day weekend and the start of school.

The final “Cruz Nite” of 2009, featuring the display of classic and antique cars, will be held Sept. 10 from 6 to 9 p.m. on portions of the New Egypt Downtown Main and North Main streets.

Plumsted’s Council for the Arts’ next “Saturday” event will be held Sept. 12 and features a movie night at the Welcome Center, 31 Main St., New Egypt, beginning at 7 p.m. Admission is free and the public is invited.

Friends of the Plumsted Library are accepting donated books, CDs, DVDs and jigsaw puzzles on Sept. 5 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the trailer directly behind the library, 119 Evergreen Road. The annual fundraiser book sale will be held in November. For more information call 609-758-0009.

In observance of the Labor Day holiday weekend, the recycling center, including the leaf and branch site, will be closed on Sept. 5 and Sept. 7.