UPPER FREEHOLD – The Monmouth County Board of Freeholders has authorized the acquisition of property in Upper Freehold Township for the purpose of adding the land to Crosswicks Creek Park.
At their meeting on Aug. 24, the freeholders passed a resolution to acquire the Stummer property at 86 Route 539. The 2.79-acre parcel will be acquired for $340,000, subject to adjustments for acreage, taxes and other closing costs, according to the resolution.
The purchase is contingent upon a satisfactory title and environmental review of the property, according to the resolution.
The Monmouth County Board of Recreation Commissioners recommended that the freeholders purchase the property, with funds to come from the county’s Open Space, Recreation, Floodplain Protection, Farmland and Historic Preservation Trust Fund.
Crosswicks Creek Park, which includes Historic Walnford, off Walnford Road, is a 2,277-acre park, according to the county website. Most of the park forms a corridor of land around Crosswicks Creek. Another 2,700 acres of surrounding farmland is preserved by the county and state farmland preservation programs.
Crosswicks Creek offers locations for hiking, canoeing and fishing, with access provided at three small parking areas:
• Hutchinson Road, Allentown. Informal trails (primarily mowed field edges) take visitors through the fields and forest edge of this former horse training track.
• Route 537, Cream Ridge. This parking area is an access point for paddlers, who will need to carry their canoe/kayak from the lot to the water. Visitors should be aware that Crosswicks Creek has many portages (mostly fallen trees).
• Province Line Road, Allentown. This site does not provide access to Crosswicks Creek, but has its own “fishing hole” and some informal trails (primarily mowed field paths).
Areas in the park open at 7 a.m. daily, year round. Closing time is 8:30 p.m. through Aug. 31; 8 p.m. from Sept. 1-23; and 7:30 p.m. from Sept. 24 through Oct. 10.
For more information, visit https://www.monmouthcountyparks.com/page.aspx?Id=2568