The Monmouth County Board of Freeholders will purchase several parcels of land in Freehold Township and add the properties to Turkey Swamp Park.
According to the Monmouth County Park System website, Turkey Swamp Park is a 2,300-acre wooded park that has a 17-acre lake for fishing, boating and ice skating. The park also features miles of trails, an archery range and playgrounds.
During a meeting on March 26, the freeholders authorized the acquisition of land on Route 537 and on Hendrickson Road. There are nine lots being purchased by the county, totaling 43.7 acres and known as the Scott and Geraldine Higgins property, according to a resolution.
According to the resolution, the Monmouth County Board of Recreation Commissioners deemed it “necessary and advisable to acquire and preserve certain lands and property for county open space preservation, natural resources conservation and public park and recreation purposes.”
The freeholders said a formal offer of purchase in the amount of $240,000 has been accepted. The purchase is contingent upon a satisfactory title review and environmental review of the property.
The funds for the purchase are covered under the Monmouth County Open Space, Recreation, Floodplain Protection, Farmland and Historic Preservation Trust Fund.
The recreation commissioners recommended that the freeholders purchase the acreage and the freeholders acted on that recommendation. The funds are available in the 2020 budget, which was adopted by the board on April 7.
