MONROE – The Monroe Township Council is moving forward to preserve a 17-acre Spotswood-Gravel Hill Road property through Middlesex County’s Farmland Preservation Program.
In the final stages of preservation, council members will vote by way of resolution at a Nov. 8 meeting to allow an existing conservation easement to have farming and horses on a four-acre section of the tract, according to a statement provided by the township.
“New Jersey has a proud and lengthy history in the equine field,” Monroe Mayor Gerald W. Tamburro said in the statement. “It’s because we’ve taken great measures to preserve horse farms like these that we maintain that reputation in Monroe to this day. We are pleased to be working with the county and the state and leveraging their resources to benefit our residents.”
For the township’s part, Monroe has agreed to pay 20 percent of the total $400,000 cost to preserve the property, with the state and Middlesex County contributing the remaining amount, according to the statement.
“Middlesex County is committed to preserving our agricultural history and saving our precious open lands from commercial development,” Middlesex County Freeholder Director Ronald G. Rios said in the statement. “We are happy to be partnering once again with Monroe Township and the state to make this the 55th farm to enter our Farmland Preservation Program.”
“Our Farmland Preservation Program could not be successful as it is without the dedication of our farmers,” Charles E. Tomaro, Middlesex County Freeholder Deputy Director and liaison to the Open Space and Recreation Public Advisory Committee, said in the statement. “We greatly appreciate what you do to keep this strong tradition alive.”
The addition of this latest parcel will move Monroe closer to 8,000 acres of preserved property in the township.
“We’re making great strides in our efforts to preserve 50 percent of our community and this is another step forward,” Monroe Councilwoman Miriam Cohen said in the statement. “Our hope is that our efforts today will serve the future generations.”
