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County staff outlines five-year lease for Bauer Property to local farmer
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Summary
Parks staff described a proposed five-year land-management lease for the 43-acre Bauer Property in Stockertown to local farmer Jacob Klein at $100 per tillable acre (18 tillable acres), intended to preserve farmland and support conservation practices; committee discussion was supportive but no vote took place.
Brian Cope described a proposed five-year land-management agreement for the Bauer Property in Stockertown. The county owns roughly 43 acres there, including 18 tillable acres; staff proposed a five-year lease to local farmer Jacob Klein with rent set at $100 per tillable acre.
Cope said the arrangement is consistent with the county's farmland-preservation and land-management approach and that the ag lease language matches prior agreements. He noted conservation goals and habitat benefits on the property, including roughly 21–22 blue heron rookeries along an on-site quarry, and said Klein volunteered winter stabilization practices that helped reduce erosion.
"He's a local farmer, very well in tune with conservation practices and best management practices," Cope said, recommending Klein as a partner after farmland-preservation review.
A committee member praised the site and the proposed arrangement as a "win-win" for the park system and farm management. The committee did not vote on the lease at the meeting; staff will proceed with the usual review and return with an ordinance or agreement for committee consideration.
What happens next: Staff will prepare the formal lease agreement and bring it to the committee for consideration at a future meeting.
