County supports open space

Tuesday, October 23, 2007

"tonight" in story means Tuesday Reef to Farmland Preservation story from GCT inside ... County towns support state open space preservation bond act By Randall Clark rclark@sjnewsco.com

SALEM Though it comes down to voters to decide whether or not the state should fund another year of open space preservation, municipal governments across Salem County have taken a firm stance to preserve not only their land, but their way of life.

On Nov. 6 residents throughout New Jersey will be faced with a pivotal ballot question to appropriate $200 million dollars to go toward the Green Acres, Farmland, Blue Acres and Historic Preservation Bond Act of 2007. Without it, the most densely populated state in the country will likely continue on a fast track that already sees over 40 acres of space lost every day to new development projects, proponents of the referendum say.

So far this year, township committees in Alloway, Mannington, Pilesgrove, and Upper Pittsgrove have passed resolutions in support of the bond measure, lending a voice to the public that reverberates throughout the halls of Trenton.

Woodstown Borough Council is expected to introduce a similar resolution at their meeting tonight.

"When we put it down on the record it becomes part of the public knowledge. It stimulates politicians to keep moving in the direction we'd like," said Upper Pittsgrove Mayor Jack Cimprich, who joined legislators and farmers in Woolwich on Monday in a campaign supporting the bond referendum. Upper Pittsgrove has been a leader in farmland preservation in the county.

If it passes in November, Ballot Question No. 3 will borrow money to replenish the Garden State Preservation Trust for one year as lawmakers seek a more permanent solution to funding open spaces. With the trust's funds depleted, the referendum was proposed by Gov. Jon S. Corzine and legislators in June to provide a quick fix to what is an issue of monumental significance.

One study by the Office of Legislative Services suggests the measure will increase state debt $15.27 million per year, yet Salem County officials maintain that keeping open spaces means keeping taxes low and land beautiful here.

"Voters are going to get more bang for their buck in Salem County than anywhere else in the state," said Pilesgrove Mayor Ernest Bickford. "Acreage is less expensive down here ... part of that is because of our continued commitment to agricultural preservation and keeping the population low."

Pilesgrove had its first reading of the resolution to support the initiative on Oct. 9. Copies of the adopted resolution will be forwarded to Corzine, state Sen. Stephen Sweeney and Assemblymen John Burzichelli and Douglas Fisher, all of whom have taken a stand in support of the effort.

The $200 million will be distributed four ways, according to the state Department of Environmental Protection, with the largest chunk $109 million used for acquiring and developing lands for public recreation and conservation under the Green Acres program. Of that, $45 million will be for the state, $55 million for local governments, and $9 million for non-profit organizations. Farmland preservation will account for $73 million of the total bond amount, $12 million will be for a new Blue Acres program for the state to purchase properties in the Delaware, Raritan and Passaic River basin floodways that are prone to flood damage and the remaining $6 million will be for historic preservation.

"We all recognize that as the most densely populated state in the nation, preserving open space is critical to our quality of life," said DEP Commissioner Lisa P. Jackson. "Preservation and conservation of open spaces, historical sites, farmland and the acquisition of flood-prone areas will improve the quality of life for millions of New Jersey residents."

Officials from Mannington Township, which adopted its supportive resolution Sept. 6, said that they were on board early with drafting a resolution because of its wide impact and scope among residents. Mannington was the first to adopt it, but by a small margin. Upper Pittsgrove adopted its own Sept. 11 and Alloway's was adopted Sept. 20.

"We look toward preservation as a component of our long-term goals of keeping Mannington an agrarian community," said Mayor Donald Asay. "It is certainly a priority in our community ... hopefully voters will see it the same way and support it."

Cimprich warned that not supporting this type of preservation now will only lead to further dilemmas down the road, including water shortages and drying aquifers due to the amount of impervious blacktop that is being laid across the state. He said that higher food prices, a result of food being shipped longer distances in an oil-reliant industry, could also follow, as could higher taxes that accompany higher populations in need of more services.

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