New Milford council signs on to Rutgers ‘Blue Acres’ visioning pilot to assess flood‑prone open space

Council voted to participate in a Rutgers/Blue Acres open‑space visioning pilot focused on municipal Blue Acres properties that the borough maintains. Councilwoman Sandy described the program as a two‑phase pilot in which Rutgers students and staff would conduct land assessments, stakeholder workshops and produce conceptual drawings the borough could later use when applying for implementation grants.

The program is voluntary and carries no financial obligation or requirement to implement any resulting plans, according to the council discussion. Proposed deliverables include soil and permeability assessments, conceptual resiliency designs, and visioning that could address flooding, drought and heat‑related impacts on the borough’s more than 37 Blue Acres parcels.

Council moved and seconded participation; members approved the motion by voice vote and discussed tentative meeting dates (a May 20 stakeholder meeting was proposed, with June 1/3 as alternates). Members said they would include the environmental commission, flood committee, shade tree commission and green team as stakeholders and asked staff to coordinate logistics.

Council members and residents raised practical questions about past plantings and flood damage; the Rutgers team’s proposed land‑assessment step was presented as the means to evaluate whether previously planted trees failed because of site conditions, deer, parking damage or other causes. Council members framed the program as an opportunity to build a planning record that could support future grant applications for resiliency and passive‑park uses without committing the borough to implementation.

The motion passed and staff will follow up to confirm meeting dates and stakeholder lists.