Township’s Open Space and Recreation plan available to the public.
By:Lacey Korevec
Residents can get a look at what could be the township’s new Open Space and Recreation portion of the township’s Master Plan at a public, joint Township Committee and Planning Board meeting April 19.
The updated plan has been in the works since last spring and will be presented to the Planning Board at 7 p.m. in the Large Group Room at Cranbury School, Planning Board member Allen Kehrt said Wednesday.
"My guess is that we will present it and have Planning Board members comment on it and then open it up to the public," he said. "We try to run the Planning Board as a very open and public process."
The Planning Board subcommittee responsible for working on the section held two public meetings, on July 17 and Oct. 18, where residents worked together coming up with ideas and priorities that should be included in the updated plan, calling for a better balance of passive and active recreational facilities and more focus on senior services.
At the October meeting, residents said they’ would like to see the preservation of open space as one of the township’s main priorities, as well as a stronger emphasis on passive recreation for adults and seniors, compared to adding new ball fields and new facilities.
Mr. Kehrt said the group used the information gathered to draw up the new plan.
"I think we’ve touched all bases," he said. "We’ll see. I actually think it’s a good report."
Mr. Kehrt said he would not comment on the details of the updated plan until the time of the meeting.
"I’d rather not release stuff to the public until it’s official because the Planning Board has not even approved it yet," he said.
However, Mr. Kehrt said the subcommittee worked hard on the plan.
"What they’re going to be seeing is an analysis of what we have in terms of parks and recreation, an analysis of how they are used and it’s a pretty thorough analysis of how they are used," he said. "Our planner did an excellent job of kind of rooting out and uncovering all the uses for these things."
Residents who attend the meeting will also see an analysis of what else the township needs or will need in the future for recreation and open space, Mr. Kehrt said They will also have an opportunity to comment on how some of those goals should be achieved and what level of priority the township should place on them.
If nothing else, Mr. Kehrt said, residents should attend the meeting just to see what the plan has in store for open space and recreation in town over the next few years.
"For people that partake in the facilities now and understand what they are and use them, I think it will be interesting to them to see what we think the future might hold," he said.