Resident Voices Concern Over Planner Appointment

During the Township Council meeting on January 7, 2009, resident Bob Cushmeyer voiced concern over the reappointment of Rick Ragan, from Ragan Design Group as Township Planner during the annual reogranization meeting.

Bob Cushmeyer questioned Dianne P. Stinney, Council President, as to why the public was not provided an opportunity to comment on consent agenda items prior to action during the reorganization meeting. The past practice of the sitting council is to open the floor for public comment on consent agenda items prior to taking action, however they did not hold to this practice and instead acted without regard to residents concerns. Mr. Cushmeyer said "he feels a loss that the public was dealt out of this particular equation," in reference to the action taken by Council without soliciting public comment. He did however read into the record the below comments:

"Members of Pemberton Town Council, I would like to request that the contract with Ragan Design Group be terminated and a new Township Planner be appointed for the year 2009. I do this because Mr. Richard Ragan and Michael Wisnewski, both of Ragan Design Group, have been less than candid with the residents of this Township. Each has stated at various meetings held last year in conjunction with the visioning process for the new master plan that the plan would reflect the desires of the people of this Township.

What a surprise last month, December, when the new master plan shows a high density housing development and commercial development located on a Greenberg Farm in North Pemberton Township. This development is in direct contradiction to the desires and the wishes of the residents who participated in the six visioning meetings. Please read the minutes of the meetings. They’re located on the Pemberton Township website.

Ragan Design Group has also attempted to cover up this not wanted and poorly planned development by calling it smart growth and benefiting the Township when in fact it is suburban sprawl at its worse and only benefits one person, Mr. Greenberg. Disregarding the wishes of the residents should not be rewarded with an extension of this Planner’s contract. Please consider a new Planner who can truly reflect the desires of the residents of Pemberton Township.

Bob Cushmeyer then read into the minutes the statement below which was signed by four members of the sitting council and the mayor during their campaign for office:

"This is the seven point plan. We will update our master plan to reflect the needs and the values of our community. We will prevent Pemberton Township from overdevelopment insuring that we learn the lessons of our congested neighbors. As we grow, we will make sure it is done in a way to preserve the beauty and the character that make Pemberton Township great.”

To view the complete minutes of the January 7, 2009 Reorganization Meeting of the Pemberton Township Council click here.

ITS YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD--TO PROTECT OR GIVE AWAY

"What we need is what other towns got, example a movie theater, a place to shop like K-Mart or Wal-Mart so we won't have to travel 10 miles to buy household items. Also some recreation to keep the kids out of trouble and bring crime down. Also more security measures in the Municipal Court building."

Browns Mills Resident

NOTE: Click on the picture to view the entire survey!

ITS YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD--TO PROTECT OR GIVE AWAY

"Fix areas that are already developed + falling apart before creating new that will ultimately create more abandoned businesses. Why build houses when the market is awful? More of a waste of time + money."

Pointville Road Resident

NOTE: Click on the picture to view the entire survey!

Burlington County plans to auction 8 farms

COURIER POST

By CAROL COMEGNO • Courier-Post Staff • January 14, 2009

MOUNT HOLLY — Eight farms will be offered at auction next month, but they will not end up as housing or commercial developments.

On Feb. 12, Burlington County will sell farms with more than 700 combined acres in six towns -- but only for agricultural use.

The county bought the farms and deed-restricted them as part of its farmland preservation program.

Proceeds from the sales will go to a county trust fund to buy more farms, said Freeholder William Haines Jr. The county's purchases are also financed by its dedicated property tax and state grants.

Haines said private owners "can invest and sustain these farms at no future cost to taxpayers."

The largest farm, the former Armstrong property in Mansfield, is 202 acres.

Also being sold are the former:

Bell farm, 128 acres, North Hanover.

C. Pettit farm, 125 acres, Pemberton Township

Blaetz farm, 69 acres, Pemberton Township

W. Pettit farm, 63 acres, Pemberton Township and Springfield.

Conover farm, 50 acres, Pemberton Township

Orchard Enterprises, 49 acres, Chesterfield

Ashmore farm, 36 acres, Florence.

The auction will be held at the Rutgers EcoComplex on Route 543 in Mansfield. A similar auction in 2006 grossed nearly $6 million for close to 1,000 acres.

Prices are likely to be lower this year, said Max Spann, whose Clinton, Hunterdon County, firm will conduct the auction.

"A positive with the drop in values is that these farms will be much more affordable for the local farmer to buy, and there is mortgage money available at attractive rates," he said.

Prospective buyers can get a preview of the farms at open houses Jan. 24 and Feb. 23 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

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Auctioning off land is a good way to protect more

There's renewable energy, and now there's renewable open space.

Burlington County officials are smart to go beyond just buying and preserving farmland, but to use the land they buy to help fund more purchases.

On Feb. 12, Burlington County will auction off eight tracts of farmland it previously purchased. The land has been deed restricted so it can only be used for agriculture. Proceeds from selling the eight farms in Pemberton, North Hanover and other northern Burlington County townships will then be used to buy and preserve more farmland.

A similar auction in 2006 where the county sold almost 1,000 acres of deed-restricted farmland grossed almost $6 million.

With land prices down, the county expects to get less this time around. But, according to Freeholder William Haines Jr., the low prices should make the land more affordable for local farmers, which is good.

This is efficient preservation and smart use of taxpayer dollars. It keeps farmers farming, and it keeps the county in the business of continually buying and protecting farmland.