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Morris County committee presents three Open Space Trust Fund grant recommendations
Summary
The countyOpen Space Trust Fund Committee presented recommended acquisitions for Tingley Road (just under 12 acres), Wildcat Ridge (123 acres) and the Saint Francis/Pocono fields (57.29 acres); presenters gave recommended awards but the presentation included inconsistent total figures that were not resolved at the meeting.
The Morris County Board of Commissioners on Nov. 5 heard recommendations from the Open Space Trust Fund Committee to pursue three land acquisitions aimed at preserving parkland, wildlife habitat and recreational access.
The committee, represented at the work session by Deputy Director Steven Shaw and committee chair Jay Thompson, outlined recommended grants for: a roughly 12-acre parcel on Tingley Road abutting Lewis Morris Park for passive recreation and a possible trailhead (presenters recommended $214,000); a 123-acre parcel in Rockaway Township submitted by the Land Conservancy of New Jersey to expand the Wildcat Ridge greenway (presented as a $1,000,000 award); and two parcels in Denville formerly associated with a Franciscan community, totaling 57.29 acres for active and passive recreation (presented as a $5,700,000 recommendation).
Why it matters: the three projects continue the countylong-running open-space program that the committee said has, over 30 years, awarded hundreds of grants and conserved thousands of acres. Preserving parcels adjacent to existing public lands and wildlife management areas can protect habitat, wetlands and provide trail connections, the committee said.
Deputy Director Steven Shaw defended the programand the committeeat the meeting, saying, "our taxpayer dollars on the open space are being very wisely invested." Jay Thompson and other committee members described site features including a two-acre pond in the Wildcat Ridge parcel and a variety of partners and funding sources for the Tingley Road acquisition; presenters noted U.S. Fish and Game had been listed as a funding partner on that application.
The presentation included a summary line that listed the three projects as totaling about 192 acres and stated a recommended funding figure of $954,000. That figure is inconsistent with the individual award amounts shown in presenter slides and discussion; the discrepancy was noted in the room but not resolved during the session.
No formal vote was taken. Presenters emphasized that the board would not take action at the Nov. 5 meeting and that the committee planned to release a press statement. Funding or acquisition approvals will be considered at a later public meeting where the board may vote.
Provenance: The committeepresentation and project descriptions were introduced at the start of the Open Space discussion and run through the board Q&A and press-release note at the end of the presentation.
