Somerset County Freeholder Director Patricia Walsh has announced the purchase of property that will link with existing county and municipal open space parcels along the Passaic River.
BERNARDS - Somerset County Freeholder Director Patricia Walsh has announced the purchase of property that will link with existing county and municipal open space parcels along the Passaic River.
The freeholders approved the purchase of the 37.69-acre property at its Tuesday meeting meeting.
Walsh was joined by Freeholder and Open Space Liaison Mark Caliguire, Bernards Township Mayor Carol Bianchi, Park Commissioner Bill Crosby and Park Commission staff at the Somerset County Environmental Education Center on Thursday to announce the acquisition.
The property, owned by the Ord family, is adjacent to the Great Swamp and the county-owned Lord Stirling Park and directly across Lord Stirling Road from the county Park Commission's Environmental Education Center.
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"Its location makes it a perfect fit that will enable the EEC to expand one of its nature trails that is used for school programs and small-child exploratory hikes," Walsh said, adding that the asking price of $389,000 is "a very good value at just over $10,000 per acre."
The rear of the property is wooded with 1,800 feet of Passaic River frontage. The acquisition will link county and municipal open space parcels along the river, advancing the cooperative county-municipal preservation initiative along the Passaic River Greenway.
The acquisition protects and provides public access to river frontage for hiking and fishing, in addition to expanding the EEC's existing environmental activities on the adjacent property.
The purchase brings the county's total of preserved parkland and open space to just over 15,000 acres. County open space in Bernards will now total 1,350 acres, including Lord Stirling Park and the Second Watchung Greenway.
Lord Stirling Park itself consists of 981 acres, including the EEC, Lord Stirling Stable and the former Ross estate property.