Officials work to preserve 660 more acres of farmland

PLUMSTED - The municipality's land preservation program is heating up with Ocean County designating a record $6 million to preserve local farmland.

According to Mayor Ron Dancer, the Township Committee is working closely with Ocean County and state officials to add Plumsted's two largest remaining farms into the preservation land program to forever protect their 662 acres from future residential development.

The two farms, consisting of 402 acres and 260 acres, would bring the total number of farms preserved in Plumsted to an all-time high of 34 farms, the highest in Ocean County and one of the highest in the state, the mayor said.

The two farms are on Colliers Mills Road, Route 539, Long Swamp Road and Brindletown Road. To date, more than 3,000 acres of farm and woodlands have been preserved to help forever retain Plumsted's rural character and, with these 662 farmland acres, Plumsted would be approaching the top 10 municipalities in the state for farm and woodland preservation acreage, Dancer said.

The mayor said the committee is making every effort with the farmland owners to finalize contract negotiations with the administrative and financial assistance of both the state and Ocean County, which are the major financial partners.

On Nov. 14, Ocean County Freeholder John Bartlett introduced the planned acquisition of 260 farmland acres with a county appropriation of $6 million, located along Route 539, Colliers Mills and Long Swamp roads to the freeholder board assembled in Toms River for the public meeting.

Dancer said the freeholders accentuated the importance of assisting the Plumsted Township Committee in its efforts to retain the community's rural character, as well as the county's water supply. Plumsted's farmland area is a recharge zone for the Kirkwood aquifer, the vast underground

water source that provides

the Pinelands environment and public

drinking water supplies.

The remaining 402-

acre farm is presently

being reviewed by the

State Agriculture Development

Board, which

would be providing the funding to preserve and protect

this farmland from future subdivisions for houses, according to the mayor.

Dancer said that with the value of land today, the grants and funding the township obtains from federal, state and county sources is critical for the continued success of Plumsted's land preservation program.

For example, he said, the value of 1 developable acre of land in Plumsted today can exceed $200,000 and that would deplete the annual revenue generated by the voter approved Recreation, Historic, Farmland, Open Space and Natural Lands trust fund.

Additionally, the ballot question in Plumsted approved by the voters set forth it will be used for not only land preservation, but the "maintenance and development" of recreation land, historic land, open space and natural lands as well. Portions of the maintenance and development funding will also provide for new recreation playground equipment next year; the gypsy moth aerial spray program on woodlands; enhanced security for parks and open space; improvements to the historic museum, etc.

The next regularly scheduled public meeting of the Township Committee will be Dec. 19 at 8 p.m. There will not be a committee meeting on Dec. 5.