Andrew Martins, Managing Editor
To the editor:
All of us in Hopewell Township love the fact that there is so much farmland and open space in our community. Protecting our rural environment does not happen by accident. It is the result of hard work by local farmers and dedicated volunteers throughout Hopewell Valley, and appropriate land use planning by the township committee. As I am a candidate for Hopewell Township Committee along with Mayor Kevin Kuchinski, I wanted to share my experience in promoting the rural nature of our township.
After Tracy Vogler and I were married in the small church next to the Harbourton Cemetery in 1992, we knew we would want to return to the community where she was raised. We had that opportunity in 1998 when we moved into the house where Tracy grew up.
Tracy’s parents, Ed and June, moved to Hopewell Township in 1968 with the plan to start a farm. Ed also bought a plot of land at the northwest corner of Route 31 and Marshall’s Corner-Woodsville Road, intending to open a nursery some day. Unfortunately, that day did not come, as Ed died in 1990. In the following years, June divided her farm into three parcels of land and sold one.
When Tracy and I moved to Hopewell Township, we had a choice. We could sell another parcel of land, or we could continue to farm. We decided to keep the fields growing.
As for the land on Route 31, after considering other uses ultimately June and Tracy sold the land to the township, and it is now permanently protected as open space. A sign stands on the land today honoring Tracy’s father.
As for the parcel of land sold by Tracy’s mother, Tracy later bought it back and we continue to farm it today.
The democrats on the Hopewell Township Committee have a strong record of protecting our environment through actions such as expanding the township’s open space and preserved farmland programs and fighting against the PennEast pipeline. Kevin and I promise to continue this important work.
Please vote for Kevin Kuchinski and Michael Ruger on November 7. For more information about our campaign, visit our Facebook page at Kuchinski and Ruger for Hopewell Township.
Michael Ruger
Hopewell Township
