UPPER FREEHOLD — A Township Committeeman who is also a farmer raised concerns at the April 19 meeting concerning the leasing of township-owned farmland and the way in which it is maintained.
Committeeman Bob Faber said he felt that a 43-acre parcel adjacent to the Cream Ridge Golf Club and purchased for recreational use in 2006 from Ellen Miscoski needs liming.
The land was rented by township farmers C.W. Gravatt and Sons prior to the township purchasing it, and has continued to be farmed by them since the property changed hands.
The latest renewal of the $3,500 annual lease, ending on May 12, 2013, passed by a 4- 0 vote.
Deputy Mayor Steve Alexander was absent .
The resolution states that the current lease provides for the committee to authorize renewal for a specific time until the township is prepared to develop the property for recre- ational or other purposes.
Faber said the problem with one-year leasing of township-owned agricultural land was that most renters did not want to apply lime or take other measures because they did not know if they would have the land the following year.
He said a lime application should be included in the lease.
Township Attorney Granville Michael Magee said the terms of the township’s leases state that the property must be in the same condition as it was prior to the lease taking effect.
“You can’t just suck the ground dry and take all the nutrients out of it,” he said. “You can’tmilk it for all its worth and next year not bid on it, leaving barren land.”
In other business, the governing body approved a resolution authorizing the Monmouth CountyMosquito ExterminationCommission to apply pesticides from aircraft over portions of the township.
According to the resolution, all pesticides used are only those approved for aerial application by both the state and federal governments, and the areas to be treated are only those that have significantly high mosquito populations to be either a nuisance or a health hazard.