HILLSBOROUGH: Committee reviews GSA park proposals

By Eileen Oldfield, Staff Writer
   Among the many recreational uses included in the preliminary master plan for the former Belle Mead Depot presented at the Sept. 29 meeting of the GSA Depot Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee, a possible BMX track for local enthusiasts earned the approval of several younger residents.
   ”If there was some place for us to legally ride — even if a track would be too much maintenance, even trails that volunteers maintain — would be good,” teenager Michael Fowler, one of several Hillsborough teenagers who came to the Sept. 28 Township Committee meeting to lobby for an ATV and dirt bike track, said. “Kids are always trying to break into the brick factory to try to ride.”
   And like the plans’ recommendation of a skate park, cricket pitch, family aquatic center and roller hockey rink, the track would be the only one in the area. Mr. Fowler told the committee many riders will do so illegally because the nearest ATV and dirt bike site is in Englishtown — about an hour’s drive away. The proposed facilities — which also include recommendations for nature trails, recreation area, athletic fields on the 321-acre site — were chosen based on residents’ input, and input from the county, according to Charles Cunion, a site planning and land development consultant from The RBA Group Inc., of Parsippany, the firm creating the plan.
   Other facilities proposed for the site include remote control car tracks, a recreation center with several offerings, a cycle-cross course, a go-kart track and dog park.
   ”The idea is that a lot of this would be phased in over the years,” Mr. Cunion said. “The (proposed) dog park would likely be first because it is easy to put in.”
   The plan also includes about 48 acres of office space, which could be used by the various facilities at the park or by other businesses, Mr. Cunion added.
   Any construction on the site must wait until site clean up is finished, however. In addition, the plan has not been approved, so offerings on the site could change depending on input from the county and from residents. Construction is expected to take several years as well, once a final plan is approved.
   Vicki Schwartz, of Van Liew Court, inquired about the plants that would be used on the site, and whether pesticides would be used when caring for the plants. Mr. Cunion said the landscaping had not been discussed in detail, however, certain government regulations would prohibit pesticide use near drinking water sources.
   For Balmoral Court resident Paul Drake, the possibility of alternate energy sources — like windmills or solar panels — was a question for buildings on the site. Alternate energy sources could be something to consider for the site, though no determinations on it have been made, Mr. Cunion said.
   No action was taken at the meeting.