Spotswood wants in on open space funds
BY VINCENT TODARO
Staff Writer

SPOTSWOOD - A county open space fund that residents pay into has yet to buy much that would benefit borough residents within their own community.

Mayor Barry Zagnit said that even though Spotswood residents have paid about $1.13 million since 1996 into the Middlesex County Open Space and Farmland Preservation Trust Fund, the borough has received nothing back. Each year residents pay 3 cents per $100 of assessed valuation on their property tax bill into the fund, he said. County residents approved an initial open space tax in 1995 and increased it to the current rate in 2001.

Borough officials, Zagnit said, have just recently learned more about what is available from the fund, and he does believe Spotswood has a few areas that could qualify for money through the open space fund.

"We just learned there's a second pot of money earmarked for recreation and farmland preservation," he said. "We never knew it existed."

When the borough contacted the county to learn more about the fund, Zagnit said, it was told that the county does not do outreach and that's why Spotswood was never told of the opportunities.

Councilwoman Marge Drozd said the borough now realizes it can apply for grants for various projects through the open space fund, as opposed to just preserving land, for example. The fund, though used to make numerous farm and open space acquisitions in towns including South Brunswick, Monroe and East Brunswick, is also being used to help towns finance projects such as athletic fields and recreation facilities.

"The money creates a fund that is used for county projects related to a number of items," she said.

Spotswood, along with neighboring Helmetta, are among the only towns in the county that have received next to nothing from the fund, a recent report in The Star-Ledger showed.

Drozd noted that the borough does have a current application into the county and is hoping to receive a grant from the open space fund. But she wishes Spotswood had been a benefactor in previous years.

"It's disappointing we have not received more funding," she said.

Drozd does not believe the county is entirely at fault. For one thing, she believes there's been a lack of awareness about the fund's versatility. In addition, the borough may be getting slighted because it has a nonpartisan form of government.

Zagnit said he hopes politics have not been a factor.

"I understand it can be viewed that way," he said. "I think party affiliation should have nothing to do with the money available to a municipality. Hopefully our projects will be viewed on merit and not on party affiliation."

Drozd noted that Spotswood is also different from many other towns in that it doesn't have much open space to be bought, she noted.

"We're limited as far as open space in Spotswood," she said.

The county has helped Spotswood out with grant monies in other areas, she noted.

Drozd said that since she joined the council last year she has met with members of the Board of Chosen Freeholders, as well as state legislators and Congressman Rush Holt to express Spotswood's desires based on feedback she's received from residents.

And she said she's glad to have helped raise awareness about the usefulness of the county fund.