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Monroe County approves $213,800 easement to preserve historic Field family farm
Summary
The Board of Commissioners approved purchase of an agricultural conservation easement for the Robert W. Field farm in Hamilton Township for $213,800, preserving farmland dating to 1730 and authorizing related water‑quality and sampling contracts.
On April 1, 2026, the Monroe County Board of Commissioners voted to approve an agreement of sale to purchase an agricultural conservation easement for the Robert W. Field farm in Hamilton Township for $213,800. The approval was part of a Planning Commission package approved under Motion M‑2026‑105.
The easement purchase was announced by Christine Meinhart, Director of the Monroe County Planning Commission. Robert W. Field provided a history of the family farm dating to 1730 and thanked the Planning Commission, Senior Environmental Planner Julia Sherer, the Agriculture Land Preservation Board and the board of commissioners for the program and for staff support. No public opposition to the easement was recorded in the minutes.
In the same Planning Commission consent action the board also authorized aquatic macroinvertebrate laboratory sub‑sampling with Michael D. Bilger ($13,962.00 for 39 samples) and a contract with Microbac for 2026 water quality testing ($15,141.75). Vice‑Chairman David C. Parker moved the Planning Commission items; Commissioner Sharon S. Laverdure seconded and the motion carried. The minutes do not record a roll‑call vote or the tally.
The purchase of the conservation easement is intended to preserve the agricultural character of the Field property; the agreement of sale and related contracts were executed as part of the board’s Planning Commission approvals. The board did not set an implementation date in the minutes and did not record the funding source within the motion text.
