By Mark Rosman
Staff Writer
UPPER FREEHOLD – Intersection improvements, the preservation of land and the completion of a recreational trail – all in Upper Freehold Township – were approved by the Monmouth County Board of Freeholders during a recent meeting.
At their meeting on Oct. 27, the freeholders passed three resolutions pertaining to Upper Freehold Township. Action was taken to:
• Authorize the release of funds for a farmland preservation easement. Acting on a recommendation from the Monmouth County Agricultural Development Board to acquire and preserve a development easement for agricultural purposes, the freeholders approved the purchase of the development rights to a 103.7-acre parcel known as the Clara Molski property on Schoolhouse Road.
The total cost of the easement is $2.27 million ($21,900 per acre), according to the resolution. The state is paying 60 percent ($1.36 million), the county is paying 24 percent ($545,449) and Upper Freehold is paying 16 percent ($363,633) of the purchase price. The agreement means the property will not be developed.
• Approve plans and specifications for intersection improvements at Monmouth County Route 524 (New Canton-Stone Harbor Road) and Sharon Station Road.
The resolution states that the freeholders have determined a need exists for the improvements and that the county engineer has prepared plans and specifications for the improvements. The freeholders have reviewed and approved the plans, and the passage of the resolution approves the plans for construction.
• Support the advancement of the Union Transportation Trail extension project in Upper Freehold and to execute an agreement with the state Department of Transportation for a federal grant.
The Union Transportation Trail is a recreational trail that has been an ongoing project for the Monmouth County Park System since 1998, according to the resolution.
The park system has developed 8.6 miles of the trail to date and has about 600 feet of the trail remaining, including an underpass through Route 537 which will, when completed, provide connectivity of the trail between Monmouth and Ocean counties.
The construction cost of the trail extension, including the underpass, is estimated at $1 million, with federal grant funding in the amount of $700,000 expected through the state’s Regional Transportation Alternatives Program, according to the resolution.
In order to secure the federal grant the freeholders are required to support the project, which they did through the passage of the resolution. The freeholders said they considered the matter and relied substantially on the recommendation of the Monmouth County Park System Board of Recreation Commissioners in granting support to the Union Transportation Trail project.