Perrineville Lake Park has entrances on Baird Road and on Agress Road, both in Millstone Township. The park offers numerous amenities to visitors in addition to a beautiful tranquil setting nestled among forests, water, birds and other creatures who have found a home here. Land may have taken two decades to acquire, but with the bits and pieces of parcels of rich, bucolic farmland and a lake at its core, Perrineville Lake Park in the Perrineville section of Millstone Township has now reached the 1,000-acre mark — 1,090.0003 acres to be exact.
Perrineville Lake Park is part of the Monmouth County Park System and is open to anyone who wants to use its facilities.
Through the efforts of Andy Coeyman, who has worked in land preservation for the park system for 25 years, Perrineville Lake Park, which began with the acquisition of two parcels totaling about 90 acres in 1999, has grown and expanded over 23 years.
Perrineville Lake Park, which lies in Millstone Township and Roosevelt, has entrances on Baird Road and on Agress Road, both in Millstone Township. The park offers numerous amenities to visitors in addition to a beautiful tranquil setting nestled among forests, water, birds and other creatures who found a home here.
Karen Livingstone, the public information officer for the park system, said the park offers boating, fishing, kayaking and canoeing on the 15-acre Perrineville Lake.
“There are also some electricpowered fishing boats,” Livingstone said, adding, “Those who enjoy the sport of fishing will find a variety of fish in the lake, including catfish, bass and panfish. We also have trails for hikers, which are open to pedestrians, bicyclists and equestrians.”
Livingstone said the park offers four trails for visitors: the Rocky Brook trail (2.5 miles), the Lakeside Loop trail (1.5 miles and offering a view of the lake), the Pine Creek trail (1 mile), and the Quail Hill trail (0.5 miles, pedestrians only).
In material provided by Coeyman through Livingstone, Coeyman explained that the concept for a county park in Millstone Township was initially discussed at meetings with residents in the early 1990s. He said a state Green Acres funding commitment was secured.
“The Monmouth County freeholders and the county board of recreation commissioners supported the project. County funding was established. Negotiations with landowners began, appraisals were commissioned, certification of appraised values by Green Acres [was made] and formal offers were made to land owners,” Coeyman said. “When [an offer was] accepted, each property received the recommendation of the recreation commissioners and authorization by the freeholders, both by resolution of each board.”
Coeyman lists the first parcel acquired for the park as the Perrineville Lake property, which was owned by the Latney Development Co. The deed was recorded on Jan. 7, 1999, at 51.809 acres.
He said the next parcels to be acquired were Kaye, et al., in 1999, at 40.892 acres, and the Saltman property (the former Jimmy Hall’s Lakeside Inn), at 17.611 acres, in 2000.
According to Coeyman, about nine farm-qualified properties (or portions) were acquired for the development of Perrineville Lake Park. Those parcels were the Vigh property, Millstone Road; the Cuomo property, Millstone Road; the Ceriello property, Millstone and Baird roads; the Durek property, Fairplay Road; the Beer property, North Rochdale Avenue; the Levin property, Witch’s Hollow Road; the Kunzler property, Witch’s Hollow Road; the Brottman property, North Rochdale Avenue; and the Levchuk property, Pine Hill Road.
Coeyman noted that the Vigh parcel, totaling 137.5 acres, was acquired in 2004. It is subject to a life estate retained by the former owner. The Vigh acquisition took committed county representatives about 10 years to complete.
Coeyman said there has been a steady expansion of Perrineville Lake Park since the first parcel was acquired in 1999. He said 23 parcels have been acquired, at a land cost/value of $32,903,025. He noted that grants have been received from the Green Acres program as reimbursement.
These funds have been deposited in the Monmouth County Open Space Trust Fund for use in other land preservation projects, according to Coeyman.
Recently, the Rocky Brook section of the park was acquired with the help of the D&R Greenway Land Trust and Millstone Township.
Coeyman said seven parcels totaling more than 440 acres were acquired for Perrineville Lake Park between 2007 and 2009.
The project continues for what Coeyman described as a regional park, with support from Millstone for additional acquisitions. He said park system administrators are looking at linkages to other public open space.
“A trail connection has been made between Perrineville Lake Park and the Assunpink Wildlife Management Area, and that is an example of what can be done when various public agencies and government entities are committed to preserving land within a project area,” Coeyman said.
He said that personally and professionally, the development of Perrineville Lake Park has been a very satisfying project for him, as he has been involved from its inception to the present day.
“We have preserved for perpetuity nearly 1,100 acres of open space, we have conserved the natural resources that are there, and we will provide the public with recreational opportunities on the park’s land and water,” he added.