Local, county effort on to fund open space trust

Morris Land Conservancy representative among those seeking $200M infusion

BY MATT MANOCHIO
DAILY RECORD
Tuesday, October 2, 2007

BYRAM -- Local officials on both municipal and county levels are trying to get the word out about the Garden State Preservation Trust running out of money and the need to infuse it with $200 million, which voters can decide to do this November.

"The first thing we hope to accomplish is to highlight what we've done so far with Garden State Preservation Trust money -- to preserve land in this town," township councilman Scott Olson said Monday.

Olson will be just one of several officials at C.O. Johnson Park today at 11 a.m. to highlight the GSPT. Speakers will include Scott Olson, Byram councilman; Ralph Siegel, executive director of the Garden State Preservation Trust; Sandy Urgo, land preservation manager, Morris Land Conservancy; and Laura Szwak, director of Garden State Greenways.

"Really, the problem with the Garden State Preservation Trust is it's running out of money," he said. "It hasn't been renewed."

Olson said that Bryam could use the financial help to continue acquiring greenway connections that will link Byram's Village Center, schools/municipal complex, lake communities and existing parks with regional recreation assets like the Highlands Trail, Sussex Branch Trail, and Allamuchy Mountain State Park.

Since the township established its own open space fund in 2000, it has partnered with the Morris Land Conservancy, New Jersey Conservation Foundation, Sussex County and the GSPT Green Acres program to preserve 199 acres of land, using more than $1.96 million in combined funding.

Olson said there will be a special statewide question on November's ballot asking that voters approve $200 million bond to use to keep the program afloat for another year.

"What we're hoping to do is show there's enough support for land-preservation initiatives," he said. "To show the legislators that it's not dangerous to support the trust."

New direction

Ralph Siegel, executive director of the GSPT, said the program began in the late 1990s. Voters approved a constitutional dedication of $98 million in bonds per year solely for land dedication projects.

"Up until that time there had been bond issues every year," Siegel said.

The GSPT for almost 10 years has authorized roughly $2 billion for statewide projects, he said.

From 2010 to 2029 the annual $98 million is scheduled to go toward paying off the bonds, meaning there's no new monies to be used for new projects.

"We're done," Siegel said. "Our $2 billion is fully appropriated."

No new plan has yet been devised to find an alternate source of funding.

"There is no money to appropriate for next year and no new project we can fund," he said. "Advocates were looking for another permanent, stable solution."

He described the referendum as "just a 12-month solution," meaning there could be another one next year.

"It's a big negotiation," he said. "Everybody's at the table."

According to "New Jersey's Keep it Green" Web site, which advocates for the question to pass, "no new taxes will be imposed as a result of this bond act. The act allows the State Treasurer to issue bonds, which must be paid back within the next 30 years from existing revenue sources."

Should the GSPT cease, municipalities would still have access to local and county funds.

"The money won't go as far, but they won't go out of business, either," he said.

‹Back to News