An unimproved 11.9-acre property on Church Road in Howell will be added to the Metedeconk River Greenway and preserved as open space, following action taken by the Monmouth County Board of Freeholders.
At their meeting on June 8, the freeholders passed a resolution authorizing the acquisition of the Virone property at a cost of $85,000. The parcel is owned by Gaetano Virone.
The funds for the purchase will come from the county’s Open Space, Recreation, Floodplain Protection, Farmland and Historic Preservation trust fund, according to the resolution.
The freeholders accepted the recommendation of the Board of Recreation Commissioners to purchase the Virone property for county open space preservation, natural resources conservation and public park and recreation purposes, according to the resolution.
In other business, the freeholders passed a resolution authorizing the Spiezle Architectural Group, Trenton, to provide architectural and engineering services regarding the modernization of and upgrades to the Monmouth County Human Services building in Freehold Township.
The freeholders authorized a contract in an amount not to exceed $845,509 with the firm. Any fees for proposed work beyond that amount must be authorized by the freeholders before the work is performed, according to the resolution.
The Spiezle Architectural Group will submit periodic reports detailing the work it has performed on the project.