Scarantino says many factors affected decision
By:Laura Toto
Debate on the Township Committee’s decision not to buy a piece of Neshanic property got a little more heated as members of the two political parties locked horns.
The Township Committee recently forfeited $18,000 of county money when committee members decided not to buy an 11.5-acre property near the Neshanic River. That decision became the subject of a heated exchange during an Oct. 5 meeting of the Open Space Advisory Committee between Helen "Chickie" Haines and Committeewoman Sonya Anne Martin.
Ms. Haines, a Republican, is a former Township Committee member who now sits on the county open space committee. Ms. Martin, a Democrat who is seeking re-election Nov. 7, is the Township Committee’s liaison to the Hillsborough Open Space Committee.
Ms. Haines reiterated earlier complaints that the township had based its decision on unsubstantiated stories of contamination.
"It will be a nice linear park at some point," Ms. Haines said. "You heard a rumor. Negotiate, don’t just walk away."
"We are continuing to negotiate for the parcel on the river," Ms. Martin countered. "Our concerns were not based on rumor, the environmental being just one (concern)."
The argument came to a halt shortly after Mike Avolio, a Republican candidate for Township Committee, asked what issues, besides the environmental ones, were considered in the decision.
It was at that point that Township Engineer Frank Scarantino intervened.
"The land is known to contain asbestos. Wells need to be sealed, the septic needs to be cleared, and we observed derelict items," he said.
Mr. Scarantino explained the way to assess the significance of a purchase is to see if it would slow development or if it is environmentally unique.
"There was no strategic value or environmental uniqueness," he said.
Ms. Haines asked if only asbestos was found. Mr. Scarantino said that was so.
Ms. Haines then brought Ottos Farm, now Ottos Farm Park in Neshanic, into the discussion because it had had asbestos shingles that were removed without a problem when the township bought it.
But Mr. Scarantino said while it had cost only $1,800 to remove those shingles, it would have cost more to clean up the Neshanic property.
"It would have cost $8,000 to $10,000 to remove the asbestos," Mr. Scarantino said. "The shingles and siding on the house were burned and mixed in with the debris."
Christian Jensen, Ms. Martin’s campaign manager and a member of the committee, called the argument politically motivated.
The forfeited $18,000 was part of a larger $116,000 county Greenways Grant. The remaining $98,000 had been designated for buying three other properties but reverted to the county when the owner of those properties decided not to sell them.
The property was appraised at $100,000, so if the Township Committee had bought it, it would have cost $82,000 more than the county grant would have provided, said Ms. Martin.
The county open space committee did not write or call Ms. Martin to indicate the Township Committee in any way had acted inappropriately, Ms. Martin said.
The county had earmarked the grant money for these specific properties because county officials believe Hillsborough has an interest in preserving land along the Neshanic River.
Since December 1999 the Hillsborough Open Space Advisory Committee has preserved a total 445 acres. They are negotiating another 692 acres.