E.B. land remains a farm, for now
Neighbors wonder what future may hold for Riva Ave. property
BY VINCENT TODARO
Staff Writer

JEFF GRANIT staff

Four years after the death of its longtime owner, a large Riva Avenue property remains in use as a produce farm, one of the last such operations in East Brunswick.

But with the land left to a variety of different parties, some wonder what its future may hold.

Barbara A. Foerter, who operated the farm until her death at the age of 65 in September 2002, had no immediate family, and thus left the farm to relatives, friends and organizations. Foerter was well known in town for her volunteer service, including many years as president of the Middlesex County Fair Association and manager of the annual fair. She was also an East Brunswick schoolteacher for 38 years.

While neighbors and township officials agree they would like to see the land remain farmed, it is not clear what the various parties intend to do with the land they've been given.

In her will, on file at the county surrogate's office in New Brunswick, Foerter left much of the farm to a friend, Michael J. Pawlek, as well as his mother, Mary Ann, of Hickory Drive, and Janet Slaboda, Foerter's cousin, of Manasquan. Also receiving a share of the property was Our Lady of Lourdes Roman Catholic Church, Milltown; St. Peter's High School, New Brunswick; and Georgian Court College (now Georgian Court University), Lakewood.

Vegetables are still grown on the Foerter farm, Riva Avenue in East Brunswick, which is run by a friend of the late Barbara Foerter. The 31-acre property was willed to several different people and organizations.

Documents state that the farm is to be divided into four equal parts, with Michael Pawlek, Mary Ann Pawlek, and Slaboda each getting a fourth, and the other three groups getting the remainder.

Foerter left the dwelling itself to Michael Pawlek, along with 2 acres of property. She also left him the contents of the barns, garages and outbuildings.

Michael Pawlek now resides on the property and is continuing the farm operation and the sale of fruits and vegetables on the premises.

The will also accounted for obligations such as any remaining bills and funeral expenses.

Mary Ann Pawlek, an executrix of the will along with Slaboda, said no decision has been made on what to do with the farm. She added that the legal process and decisions were held up because of a lawsuit Foerter and numerous other residents filed against the township over its 6-acre rural preservation zoning ordinance. A judge ruled in the plaintiffs favor last year, reverting the properties back to the former higher-density zoning laws.

"We lost four years due to the 6-acre lawsuit," said Mary Ann Pawlek, a friend of Foerter's and fellow volunteer with the fair association.

Pawlek said the will is not being contested, but that the legal process of carrying it out is not yet settled. Thus, she could not comment on the future of the land.

The farm comprises about 31 acres, stretching west from Riva Avenue to Farrington Lake.

While several farms in the township have been preserved for open space or agricultural purposes, township officials have not yet considered acquiring the Foerter farm.

Mayor William Neary said the township has not been approached on the issue.

"But if the opportunity is there, we'd like to sit down and discuss it," he said.

Neary noted that the township has been involved with the preservation of five farms while he has been mayor, and that he is always looking to preserve more if feasible. Several farms have been preserved through the state's farmland preservation program, with the township contributing a share of the funding. Most recently, the 47-acre livestock farm owned by William Warren on Fresh Ponds Road entered the program at a cost of $1.6 million.

Neary said each time the township has worked to acquire or preserve a farm, it was the owner who approached the township. He said developers have a leg up on the government, however, because they can offer any amount they want. Governing bodies are limited by appraisal prices.

He noted that the Foerter farm is on the township Open Space Committee's priority list for preservation.

Marge Petroski, who lives nearby on Riva Avenue, said she would like to see the land remain a farm, but she does not know what to expect in the future.

She said she wouldn't mind if only one or two homes are built there. She said she feels that any large-scale uses or future commercial activity would disturb the nearby aquifer.

Edna Schork, another neighbor, said she also hopes the land will remain a farm.

Township Councilman David Stahl said he has not heard of any discussion regarding the farm or whether township officials are interested in it. He noted that, overall, the township has made a substantial effort to buy farms or their building rights to keep them from being developed.