The Fair Haven Borough Council is moving forward with plans for a passive park on DeNormandie Avenue, the site of the Robards family home for more than 150 years. FAIR HAVEN — After a series of delays, the borough is taking the final steps to convert the property of the Robards family into a new park.
The 1-acre property on DeNormandie Avenue is being acquired by the borough for $1.2 million, the majority of which is being funded through several grants, including a $600,000 grant from the state Department of Environmental Protection’s Blue Acres program.
Under the Blue Acres program, the property must be a “passive” park that cannot be developed or include any impervious surfaces, according to Borough Administrator Theresa Casagrande.
“The borough will improve it, but it won’t be paved or anything like that,” she said.
The council approved a resolution at the Sept. 22 Borough Council meeting that allows the mayor to execute and sign contracts on the acquisition of the property, which is located along the Navesink River.
The property has been owned by several generations of the Robards family, dating back to the 1850s.
According to Casagrande, the house has not been occupied in several years. Once the park is created, a plaque with a history of the Robards family will be the centerpiece of the park.
She said that, after the closing on the property, the interior of the building will be examined and any items with historical significance will be saved.
“We are going to work with our Historic Preservation Commission to salvage what can be salvaged, if there is anything in the house,” Casagrande said.
The home on the site will be demolished, she said.
Along with the Blue Acres funds, the borough also received a $250,000 grant from the Monmouth County Open Space Grant Program and a $100,000 grant from the Monmouth Conservation Foundation.
According to Casagrande, an additional $47,000 Blue Acres matching grant will fund several expenses associated with acquisition of the property, including legal costs, surveying and environmental work.
In total, the borough’s contribution will be $202,406 for the acquisition and $47,000 for the Blue Acres match.
While grant funding will cover the ma- jority of costs, the Borough Council in 2009 authorized $1.5 million in bond anticipation notes to fund the acquisition.
“The reason we needed to go out for bond anticipation notes is because these grants are reimbursable grants,” Casagrande said. “We have to pay for the purchase of the land first and then get the money sent back to us.”
Depending on variables like the closing date and the weather, the existing structure could be demolished prior to winter, she said.
“Initially, the house will be demolished for safety and other reasons. And then, with the winter setting in, we will stabilize the grounds with maybe some plantings,” Casagrande said.
While the acquisition is entering the final stages, she said design specifications for the proposed passive park have not yet been drawn up and will be presented to the council in the future.
The council authorized the bond in 2009, but Fair Haven Mayor Benjamin Lucarelli said a 100-year-old error in title delayed the acquisition.
“It was transferred from one family member to the next, and on or about 1910, an error was made in the transfer of title and one of the lots was not conveyed correctly,” he said. “So, unfortunately, we had to go back and do a search all the way back to 1910 to make sure there were not any other errors that were not listed.”
According to the borough website, the property was purchased in the 1850s by Charles Williams, who built a home that stayed in the family for many years. His descendants include members of the Robards family.