By: centraljersey.com
The Hopewell Township Committee is expected to vote Monday (Dec. 13) on a resolution urging state government to preserve the D&R Canal Commission.
The vote was postponed from the Nov. 29 meeting at the request of state Department of Environmental Protection representatives, who have said they want to be present to discuss the matter before a vote is taken.
The D&R Canal Commission was established in October 1974 when then Gov. Brendan Byrne signed the D&R Canal State Park Law.
The proposed resolution says the D&R Canal Commission "provides invaluable oversight not only to the historic Delaware and Raritan Canal State Park, but also the larger historic, natural, and scenic corridor through which the narrow canal park passes."
The resolution also states that "the legislation that created the commission is a model for resource-based regional planning, regulation and enforcement in a diverse cultural landscape."
MONDAY’S AGENDA also is expected to include adoption of three enabling ordinances under which three properties would be named historic landmarks. The measures were introduced Nov. 29 and the Planning Board was scheduled to review them Dec. 8.
The township’s Historic Preservation Commission recommended that the three properties officially be designated historic sites. They are: the Andrew Drake Farmstead on Titus Mill Road; the Furman-Larison House on Pennington-Hopewell Road; and the Stout Voorhees Farmstead on Wargo Road.
The ordinances say the properties have high degrees "of historical integrity."
