Monmouth County officials are eyeing an expansion of Perrineville Lake Park in bucolic Millstone Township.
Karen Livingstone, a spokeswoman for the Monmouth County Park System, said officials are planning to purchase two parcels to expand the park in the Perrineville section of Millstone Township.
She did not offer a timeframe for the acquisition of the parcels, which are expected to increase the size of the park by 69 acres.
Perrineville Lake Park, which encompasses 897 acres in Millstone Township and neighboring Roosevelt, has entrances on Baird Road and Agress Road, both in Millstone Township.
The park offers several amenities to visitors in addition to a tranquil setting nestled among forests, water, birds and other wildlife.
Visitors are offered opportunities for many forms of water recreation on the 15- acre Perrineville Lake. Lake access is on Perrineville Road/Sweetmans Lane (between Agress and Millstone roads). Water craft can be launched into the lake, and visitors can canoe, kayak and fish.
Perrineville Lake Park boasts more than 2.5 miles of multipurpose trails. The lakeside loop is a 1.5-mile multi-use trail on Agress Road. The Pine Creek Trail is a 1- mile unpaved multi-use trail on Baird Road.
Portions of the park west of Agress Road are in the planning phases for future trail/facility development.
Livingstone said the additional 69 acres will be maintained as passive recreation areas with trails, fishing and more. One par- cel is expected to cost the county $516,000 and the second parcel is expected to cost the county $582,000, according to Livingstone.
“The county is not looking to build anything” in Perrineville Lake Park, she said.
Mayor Robert Kinsey said the members of Millstone’s Open Space and Farmland Preservation Council regularly discuss projects and initiatives that involve property acquisition and development.
“They are well informed,” Kinsey said of the panel’s members. “They are truly a group of dedicated and hard-working individuals who strive to do their best for the residents of Millstone Township.”