Boro may seek grant for open space funding
BY VINCENT TODARO
Staff Writer

SPOTSWOOD - - Borough officials are hoping to secure what would be the town's first share of open space funding from Middlesex County.

Though it has not been determined what parcel would be targeted in a borough application for county funding, Council President Curtis Stollen said one area being considered is a conservation zone that runs parallel to Adirondack Avenue and is near Manhattan Avenue. The area has not been developed because it includes wetlands.

Stollen said it would be difficult for a developer to build there, but the property could become more valuable, and he wants to find out who owns it and if the borough can preserve it. It is unclear what the total acreage is, he said, but he did ask the administration to investigate and prepare a report for the council on ownership and other issues. Preliminary research shows that some portions of the zone are already borough owned, while others are in private hands.

Stollen said last week that the report was still being prepared and would soon be presented to the council.

The administration is as interested as the council in finding an open space area to preserve. Most of the borough has long been fully developed.

Stollen described the area being eyed as basically wooded and having some trails where children ride bicycles.

"A lot of it is indicated as wetlands," he said.

There are other sites being considered for preservation as well, but he did not want to indicate them yet. He would not mention them specifically because officials want to be sure they are interested before naming them.

"They are candidates to be included in our [grant] application," Stollen said.

The borough has until June 1 to make a decision on which land to pursue, as that is the county's deadline for grant applications.

The borough must also decide which route it will take in terms of buying land for open space preservation or for recreational purposes.

"If we go open space, do we go recreation? We need to answer all of these questions and decide on a goal," Stollen said.

The next step for the town is to look at the report and decide which property would be best to pursue. Among the criteria in making that determination are factors such as which land would have the greatest benefits to the town, if preserved, and which would be most likely to succeed in securing grant money.