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SOUTH BRUNSWICK: County buys Himmel land

By Charley Falkenburg
   SOUTH BRUNSWICK — To longtime resident Bill Klimowicz, the Himmel property has always been the prized field on Davidson Mill Road.
   Mr. Klimowicz has lived a couple houses down from the Himmel farm for 60 years.
   Growing up, he recalled helping the Himmel brothers, Bill and Dutch, baling hay, planting hay and reaping harvests.
   However, his fondest memory was walking through the woods with Bill Himmel about 10 years ago.
   ”We were standing,” he started, pausing to wipe a tear. “And he told me, ‘Billy, I love these woods.”Now, thanks to the township and Middlesex County, those woods and the rest of the 40-acre land will be forever preserved.
   Mr. Klimowicz was one of many neighbors and residents who gathered at the Himmel property last Thursday morning to celebrate the land’s induction into the county’s Open Space Preservation program.
   County and local officials marked the 40-acre expansion in preserved land with a brief dedication ceremony.
   ”The addition of the Himmel property to our Open Space Preservation Program stands as a testament to the county’s and our residents’ unwavering commitment to saving forever precious open lands,” Freeholder Deputy Director Ronald Rios said.
   The addition not only adds to the open space inventory, but also joins the existing Ireland Brook Conservation area to create almost 500 acres of contiguous stretch of undeveloped land between South Brunswick and East Brunswick.
   Ralph Albanir, director of Parks and Recreation for the county, said this particular property was a good access point to the rest of the preserved park lands and would help foster passive recreation, such as bird watching or fishing, for residents.
   The latter activity was particularly exciting for Freeholder Rios.
   ”As an avid fisherman, I am thrilled to know that within 40 minutes of my front porch, I have a new spot to enjoy one of my favorite pastimes,” he told the crowd.
   One of the crowd members was Mr. Himmel’s sister Evelyn Baron, whose parents bought the farm in 1927.
   For 80 years, the Himmels planted an assortment of crops and raised a variety of animals such as steer, hogs, chickens and geese, which Ms. Baron described as the kind one might see on a Christmas dinner plate.
   Although unable to attend, Ms. Baron said her brother had always wanted to be a farmer.
   With a degree in animal husbandry from the College of Agriculture, now Cook College in New Brunswick, Mr. Himmel continued to farm the piece of property.
   However, now Mr. Himmel is 87, and in an assisted living facility.
   She said he wanted to sell the property, but did not want to see it used for housing.
   After finding about the open space program through the Delaware and Raritan Greenway Land Trust, Mr. Himmel decided he wanted to sell the land to the county to be preserved.
   The county bought the $850,000 parcel of land with money from the county’s Open Space Trust Fund after also applying to the state Green Acres Program for financial assistance last fall.
   Mr. Albanir said he expected the Green Acres application would be approved soon, which would offset the cost by 50 percent.
   Mayor Frank Gambatese, Freeholder Director Christopher Rafano and former township Deputy Mayor and current Freeholder Carol Barrett Bellante also spoke at the ceremony, praising the recent acquisition and the county’s efforts to protect undeveloped land, which has resulted in 7,457 acres of open space to date.
   Freeholder Bellante announced the county also just closed on the last 35-acre parcel of the Boyko Property, known as the Scotts Corner Conservation area in the center of town.
   That acquisition adds an additional 159 acres to the open space inventory.
   ”This news thrills me and I can’t wait to start working on preserving more land throughout the county,” said Freeholder Bellante.
   The acquisition of the Himmel property joins Rowland Park, the Plainsboro Preserve and Sondek Park – creating a combined total of 855 acres of connected parkland, according to officials.
   The county’s Open Space Trust Fund funded the Rowland Park acquisition, while the Plainsboro Preserve was a joint purchase between the county and Plainsboro.
   It continues to be managed by Plainsboro and the New Jersey Audubon Society.
   After the ceremony, the folks mingled with cups of coffee from a nearby refreshment table.
   ”The Himmel property is wide open and this is a nice street that people would look at to develop,” said resident Don Rose, who lived a couple of streets over. “Any chunk of land we can retain for preservation is a tremendous task.”
   David Brown has lived across the street from the Himmel land for six years and said the property was “an asset to the area and a great investment for the county.”
   ”This part of town is one of my favorites – I see people riding bikes and jogging all the time on Davidson Mill Road,” said Mr. Brown. “It’s nice to see residents enjoying the area on Sunday mornings and taking advantage of the assets in the county.”