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Some of Our Most Current eNews Mailings
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Click Here for the NBCC eNews Archive Index. NBCC eNews - March 16, 2007 Hello, Friends and Neighbors! Ouch! Just when you think spring is around the corner (and after being teased by an almost 80-degree day this week!) POW! Winter gives us a last gasp slap in the face. Just a quick note right up front about the upcoming Byram Municipal election, NBCC eNews, and my plans for both. As you will see from an article below, I have filed with the Township Clerk to run for one of three Township Council seats up for election on May 8th. As all of you know, I've never been shy about expressing my opinions to you – good or bad – regarding what is happening in and around Byram in these mailings. To avoid my being accused of using this forum as a campaign tool and not providing "equal time" to all candidates, I will be taking a brief hiatus from publishing "Personal Opinion" pieces in the NBCC eNews updates over the next two months. Don't worry, however...I will continue with my monthly (or more frequently, if occasion arises) mailing of important news and meeting information, which so many of you have come to rely on for a source of updates about happenings in our town and region. In the mean time, if you'd like to be kept up-to-date with email notes of my "Opinions for a Better Byram" (local issues from my perspective) or have interest in helping with my campaign, feel free to drop me a note at or give me a call at 973-726-8867. Thanks, everybody. With that bit of business taken care of, please read on... Scott In this issue...
Byram Village Center plan open to public Byram - Porches, cottage-like structures and no garages facing the street front are the major characteristics township residents can expect should the Village Center Redevelopment Zone actually be developed. Also to be expected: a five-acre village green. Although the township council has yet to set a date for the introduction of the proposed Village Center Redevelopment plan, the public can look at the draft copy during regular business hours at the municipal building. In the plan, the public will see pages of “dos” and “don’ts” for commercial and residential property within the zone, all geared toward creating a village atmosphere in the pedestrian-oriented section of the township. The Village Center plan is the third in a series of proposals for the future of the township. The smart growth plan introduced the Village Center plan in 2002, focusing on the center as a magnet for growth in the township with a goal of keeping green spaces green. The second proposal was the Lake Communities Development Plan which was released in 2003, as an examination of current and potential land uses taking into consideration the environmental constraints of each lake community in isolation and taken together. The 2004 master plan focused on the remaining areas of the township, leaving the Village Center concept for future consideration. The township was able to convince the state to include the Village Center plan as part of the State Plan Policy Map. By designating a village center, the township was able to put an additional 5,600 acres of the township into 5- or 10-acre zones. The designated village center is from Acorn Street to the northern boundary of Byram Plaza, between Lubber’s Run and the Family Theme Park Zone. The area designated by the township as in need of redevelopment is bounded by Route 206 to the west, Lackawanna Drive to the north, Wild West City to the east and East Brookwood Road to the south. It consists of Block 365, Lots 2 and 5. Lot 5 is the bigger of the two and is owned by one of the Stabile family corporations, but is not in the Highlands Preservation area as is the theme park. The area is the largest unconstrained area available for development either within or near infrastructure in the township, according to the plan’s narrative. The plan will be in the offices until the public hearing is held. Copyright © 2007 Straus Newspapers. Note: While the Township has not made the "Byram Village Center Redevelopment Plan" available electronically to the public, NBCC has obtained a copy and placed it on our web site for interested citizens to review. If you would like to download a "low-resolution" (still over 4.8MB in size) pdf copy of the "Byram Village Center Redevelopment Plan," click here. http://www.nj.com/news/ledger/sussex/index.ssf?/base/news-1/1174024110241770.xml&coll=1 Sussex County News Briefs Byram will have a contested council race in its May 8 nonpartisan municipal election, as three incumbents and three challengers met yesterday's deadline to file election petitions. Byram's nonpartisan Faulkner form of Township Council has municipal elections every other year. The only other nonpartisan towns in Sussex County are Newton and Sparta, which do not have municipal elections this year. In Byram, three 4-year terms on a five-member council are available. Incumbents Donna Griff, Lou Esposito and Earl Riley are again running as a team and will be bracketed on the ballot with the slogan "Commitment, Balance and Integrity." Griff was first elected in 1999 and re-elected in 2003; Esposito was first elected to an unexpired term in 2001 and re-elected in 2003; and Riley was first elected in 2002 to an unexpired term and re- elected in 2003. A trio of challengers who are running individually are: Scott Olson, a member of the civic group North Byram Concerned Citizens and the township's advisory Architectural Review Committee, whose ballot slogan is "For a Better Byram;" Brian Thompson, treasurer of the Byram Fire Department, whose slogan is "Time For A Change;" and Daniel Rafferty, whose slogan is "The Time For Change Is Now." The winners would join Mayor Skip Danielson and Councilman James Oscovitch on the Byram council. http://www.njherald.com/313548982682903.php Andover hearings go public ANDOVER BOROUGH — The public and Andover Borough Council on Tuesday continued the journey down the paper trail of letters, memos and minutes which has marked nearly two decades of a development company's efforts to build nearly 600 homes in the borough. "I think it's important. The public needs to know what was going on here all these years,'' said Donald Daines, co-counsel for Beazer Homes, which is fighting an attempt by the Borough Council to revoke a general development plan put in place in 1989. While the council voted to revoke the agreement last year, a court sent the issue back to the borough because Beazer Homes and Sussex Properties, the owner of the 233-acres on the northwestern side of the borough, were not properly notified of the hearing. While Monday's opening session of the public hearing provided some theater from the opening statement of Daines, Tuesday's three-hour-long session relied on architect Constantine Karalis flipping through documents and explaining the process of meetings, studies and more studies as Sussex Properties sought to get state and county approvals for everything from sewer and water systems, to highway access, down to the quality of water in a nearby trout stream. Some documents even relate to whether Andover Borough should be classified as rural or urban. Karalis has been with the project ever since George Syngelides first approached the town in the mid-1980s. What came out of those early negotiations was the general development plan, approved by the Planning Board in 1989, and an associated agreement with the Borough Council. Under the plan, Syngelides could built some commercial space and the 590 units, which would include single-family homes, townhouses and apartments. Beazer Homes, a national home builder with projects in several states, came into the process about six years ago. When the council revoked the agreement and plan last year, it said Beazer Homes and Sussex Properties failed to submit a preliminary site plan within five years. While the property owners obtained extensions from the Planning Board, it is the council's position that the extensions need to be granted by both boards. Near the end of Tuesday's session, Karalis got to a document from 1994 when Sussex Properties received a one-year-extension. He finished with document 84 of the more than 300 documents to be entered as exhibits. Testimony will resume at 7 p.m. March 21 at the borough firehouse on Route 206. Two other sessions are scheduled for March 26 and 29. After adjournment, Daines said he realizes the process seems tedious, "but it's like stepping stones. We need to go from one to the next to the next to tell the story." 2007 The New Jersey Herald http://www.poconorecord.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070316/NEWS/703160355 Stop the train, says N.J. Sierra Club The executive director of a New Jersey environmental group blasted Pennsylvania government as anti-conservation and has implored New Jersey officials not to ride along with the proposed passenger rail project to the Poconos. Jeff Tittel of the state's chapter of the Sierra Club said Thursday that if the Lackawanna Cutoff project is approved, it could mean more sprawl, more pollution and more flooding along the Delaware in both Pennsylvania and New Jersey. "If this keeps up, Pennsylvania is going to look like the worst parts of New Jersey," he said. "At least in New Jersey, we realize we have environmental problems and we're trying to fix them. I don't see that happening in Pennsylvania." Tittel spoke out during the public comment period for the environmental assessment of the proposed $551-million project to restore passenger train service from Scranton to Hoboken, N.J. As currently envisioned, the project would have five stops in the Poconos between Delaware Water Gap and Tobyhanna. But Larry Malski, executive director of the Pennsylvania Northeast Regional Rail Authority, the local group overseeing the project, said the Sierra Club's view is in the minority. He said of the nearly 300 comments about the plan, more than 90 percent were for it. He also said the Sierra Club's view is false because the project would help the environment. "The Sierra Club's position is that they don't want anything built, anywhere, anytime, and that just isn't reality," he said. "Rail has been proven as the most environmentally friendly form of transportation out there. It's going to take thousands of cars off of Interstate 80. How you cannot support that just baffles me." Tittel, however, is more worried about the secondary effects. Having rail stops in the Poconos will promote even more development than already is taking place, he said, and coupled with what he called Pennsylvania's "terrible" environmental laws, it will only lead to problems. He said for every car the train takes off the highway, add two more because of the new developments enticed by the rail project. Plus, the extra pavement associated with new residential developments means more water runoff and more flooding. "The people in Easton are going to need snorkels," he said, referring to future flooding of the Delaware River. Tittel also said he doesn't want New Jersey money going to subsidize a Pennsylvania project, and said there are better places New Jersey can spend its money — in New Jersey. Malski, however, said he hopes the Federal Transit Administration will consider the overwhelming number of positive comments from the public meetings, half of which were held in New Jersey. The public had four chances to comment on the project in January and February. Those comments will be sent to the FTA, which will decide whether to accept the assessment or not. With an FTA approval — hopefully by mid-summer, Malski said — final engineering can be completed and initial construction could be on the way. "We're hoping this is the last step before we can really start moving," he said. LACKAWANNA CUTOFF THEN: Officials planning the roughly $550-million project to bring passenger rail service from Scranton to Hoboken, N.J. — with five stops in Monroe County — held a series of public meetings for feedback on its environmental assessment. NOW: Though heavily favored in public comment, according to local officials, the New Jersey chapter of the Sierra Club has come out against the project. NEXT: The Federal Transit Administration takes the public comment into account and makes a determination as to whether the project can move forward. Copyright © 2007, Pocono Record, Stroudsburg, PA Township Contact Information Want to make your voice heard? The next regular Town Council Meeting is Monday March 19, 2007, 8:00 pm at the Municipal Building. If you have matters you feel need to be addressed and wish to do so in person, please attend and voice your concerns during either of the open public comment sessions during the meeting. The next regular Township Planning Board meeting takes place on Thursday April 5, 2007, 8:00 pm at the Municipal Building. Open comments are heard at the end of these meetings, so plan on waiting until 10:00 pm or later if you want to speak to the Planning Board "in general." You can call the Township Offices at 973.347.2500 and leave messages for the Mayor, Council or Township Manager. The Township Website also lists the following contact information for the Mayor and Council: Mayor Eskil "Skip" Danielson Councilman Lou Esposito, Jr. Councilwoman Donna Griff Councilman James Oscovitch Councilman Earl Riley Township Manager Gregory Poff NBCC eNews - January 12, 2007 Happy New Year, Friends and Neighbors! Wow! We've got a jam-packed newsletter with some important information - sorry for the lengthiness, but when you read the articles, you'll understand why. If you are concerned about protection of the environment, and the quality of life in and around our Township, there are a number of very important meetings taking place in the next three weeks - please do what you can to find the time to attend one or more of them. With your involvement, we can raise community awareness and make a difference! In this issue...
Special Township Council Highlands Meeting, January 16, 2007 - 6:00 pm Want to know more about the Highlands Act and the much-discussed draft Regional Master Plan (RMP), and how it will affect you as a resident of Byram Township? Then don't miss this opportunity to learn the details first-hand the from the people drafting and implementing the Plan itself. Please join the Byram Mayor and Council, Planning Board, Environmental Commission, and other concerned local residents at a special early Council meeting on Tuesday January 16, 2007, 6:00 pm at the Municipal Building. Why should you be concerned? Most of Byram Township relies on sensitive, sub-surface aquifers in fractured bedrock for its drinking water. Residents in some sections of town are already experiencing difficulties with water availability in their private wells. In other parts of town, natural or man-made contamination has created the need for costly remediation and treatment of private and public water supplies. Much of Byram Township already has no excess water safely available for future consumption. Byram has a vast area of unprotected lands containing some of the highest watershed and forest integrity values in the region...lands which receive some of the highest Conservation Priority ratings in the draft RMP. Proper regional planning and conservation of natural resources are vital to the future well-being of our residents. Check Out These Fast Facts:
We can't and certainly don't accuse all of Byram's large landowners for opposition to land use regulation and the Highlands Act/Regional Master Plan. Most of these people are responsible stewards of the land, are involved heavily in the community, appreciate the natural resource value of their property, and care deeply about maintaining the raw, natural beauty that is Byram. To them, we all owe a hearty "Thanks!" A small but vocal minority are looking out for their own bottom line at the expense of the greater community. Do not allow a handful of large landowners - paying mere pennies against our dollar in taxes on their farmland/woodland assessed parcels - to dictate the quality of our lives in exchange for the greedy profit from the subdivision and sale of their property. As you read this, county and local officials, and large landowners (some right here in our own community) continue to spread misinformation about the Highlands Act and Regional Master Plan. Don't believe everything you hear or read (even here!) Come out for yourself and get the real answers to your questions from Highlands legal and science staff members, and our own Township attorney and planner. The Highlands Act has virtually no affect on current built parcels or subdivided, unbuilt properties in our Township. If you own a home, you can make improvements. If you own a lot, you can still build a home on it. There is no greater proof of this than the improvements and building being done right here in Byram: an addition and improvements by Councilman Lou Esposito on his property on Roseville Road, or the new homes being built on Camelot Drive, or as "in-fill" on lots in Forest Lakes. These are examples of "pre-Highlands Act" property owners being allowed major building and improvements in the "post-Highlands Act" world. To prepare for upcoming meetings, or to gather more information on the draft Regional Master Plan (http://www.state.nj.us/njhighlands/master/) go to the following links: Text of the Plan: The Plan establishes policies for the Highlands Region. It outlines specific standards that apply in each of the zones in the region as reflected on the Land Use Capability Map. Land Use Capability Map: The Map establishes geographic zones based upon a comprehensive evaluation of natural resources and existing development. The scale is 1:120,000. Atlas: To assist the public in seeing Map details in specific areas, the Council has released an Atlas for the Land Use Capability Map. The interactive map shows individual lots at a scale of 1:26,000 with zones superimposed on top. Map users can search for a location on the Land Use Capability map Atlas by selecting from the municipal grid index. Property Search Tool: This tool allows the public to search for a property to determine if it is in the Highlands Act's Preservation or Planning Areas. Technical Reports: These are the draft technical documents around which the Regional Master Plan is being formed. If you would like more information or have further questions, feel free to contact Scott Olson at . Highlands Council Hearing on Draft Regional Master Plan Whether or not you have the opportunity to attend the Council/Planning Board Highlands meeting on January 16th, we'd like to ask you to get out and involved at another equally important meeting. There will be a hearing on the Highlands Council's draft Regional Master Plan (RMP) which begins at 4 pm on Thursday, January 18th at the Sussex County Technical School in Sparta. The meeting will run to approximately 8 pm that evening. Please come out and express your support and/or concerns about how the Highlands Act and RMP will affect our township and region. Two Highlands Council hearings on the RMP in Morristown this week drew heavy attendance. As with most regular Highlands Council meetings, there were a number of large landowners and developers demanding repeal of the Act, fewer restrictions, and money for their perceived loss of land value. They were outnumbered, however, by those who back the Highlands Act and want a stronger RMP. A hearing the next evening at Ramapo College in Mahwah had a smaller audience - 50-75 people - of which a third of whom were members of our Morris and Passaic County partners like Skylands CLEAN and the Pequannock River Coalition. Again, sentiments were mixed, but supporters of the Highlands were a definite majority. Last night, a hearing in Warren County drew a little less than 100 people, and while there were a number of supporters there, a majority of those speaking were in favor of repealing and/or weakening the Highlands Act and RMP. We need your help to balance the discussion at the Sussex County hearing on January 18th. If you are unable to attend the hearing on the 18th, you can also have a voice by email or letter. Comments are being accepted via email on the web at http://www.state.nj.us/njhighlands/master_plan.html. To send comments via regular mail address them to: New Jersey Highlands Council, Draft Plan Comments, 100 North Road, Chester, NJ 07930 See the article and links above for ways to gather information for yourself. We feel that the main points to get across (please do so in your own words and speak simply from your heart), if you decide to speak or write are these:
If you have further questions, are interested in attending the meeting on the 18th and would like to speak, or would like help with written comments, please contact Scott Olson at . NJ Transit Lackawanna Cut-off Environmental Assessment Hearing The reactivation of the Lackawanna Cut-off is back in the news, with the release of the much-anticipated Environmental Assessment (EA) report from NJ Transit. (NOTE: The draft New Jersey-Pennsylvania Lackawanna Cut-off Passenger Rail Service Restoration Project Environmental Assessment can be downloaded at by clicking here). NJ Transit will be holding four hearings in the coming weeks for public comment on the EA, the first and closest for us being held January 23, 2007 at Perona Farms in Andover Township. The hearing will take place from 3 pm to 8 pm, with presentations by NJ Transit officials will at 4 pm and 7 pm. We urge all concerned local residents to attend and express their opinions and concerns. The site of the proposed station is located on vacant, undisturbed land on Roseville Road, immediately across from the entrance of Westby Farms in Andover Township. It immediately borders the Highlands Preservation Area in Byram Township, is bisected by a stream that originates in Byram (where it is protected by Highlands regulation) and after flowing briefly through Andover Township and Borough, returns to the Highlands in Green Township as a tributary to the Pequest River. The site also contains habitat for threatened and endangered species. Located approximately a mile and a quarter off Route 206, at least a mile of narrow local roads would require major and costly infrastructure improvements (and cause further environmental disturbance) to create proper ingress and egress to the station for additional car and bus traffic. At a public meeting held on September 20, 2004 the Byram Township Council collected input for over two hours from residents and invited guests regarding local concerns on reactivation of the Cut-off. At their subsequent meeting on October 4, 2004, the Council approved a resolution against this project, citing noise, cost and effective ridership, and environmental issues as their biggest concerns. At a Highlands Council Transportation Technical Advisory meeting on August 10, 2005 in Chester, Rich Roberts of NJ Transit stated that reactivation of the rail line will have virtually no impact on Route 80 automobile congestion - less than a two-percent decrease - and would not even be noticed by auto commuters. The daily ridership and projected decrease in Route 80 traffic are both HUGELY overrated, especially considering the estimated $5-6 million annual operating costs (an old estimate sure to increase over time) for the project. It's overall effect will be to encourage more sprawl growth, and an increased need for water, sewer and municipal infrastructure in areas of Sussex and Warren Counties, and the Poconos, where stations will be located. We believe that mass transit and multi-modal transportation will become increasingly important as fuel cost rapidly increase over the coming months and years. But mass transit only works where there is sufficient population density to create ridership. In rural areas like Sussex County, that will most likely never be the case, unless rural areas experience rampant growth. We believe the $510 million would be much better invested in intra-county bus routes and other local transportation improvements within Sussex and Warren Counties. See the article below for further information. http://www.mcall.com/news/local/all-b5_5railjan05,0,3940230.story Study gives thumbs up to restoring rail service A major environmental review of a proposed passenger rail link between New York and the Poconos reveals "no adverse problems" that would delay the project, a Pennsylvania rail official said Thursday. Robert Hay, chairman of the Pennsylvania Northeast Regional Rail Authority, said the report, which studied the effects of rail service on everything from wetlands to noise, was "very positive" and should help the project obtain a favorable rating from the Federal Transit Administration. A "highly recommended" rating will allow the project to proceed. "The environmental report is very good," said Hay. "If we get a good rating we can begin preliminary engineering and look for service in 2010." The environmental assessment, completed by Edwards and Kelcey of Morristown, N.J., will be available online and for public review and comment at required hearings scheduled for Jan. 17 in Scranton and Jan. 25 in Stroudsburg. Two other hearings will be on Jan. 23 in Andover, N.J., and Jan. 29 in Blairstown, N.J. The two-year study, mandated under federal funding guidelines, is the "final hurdle" before a much anticipated rating by the transit administration, which is expected in May. But the study has also hiked the estimated price of construction to $510 million, according to Joe Dee, a spokesman for New Jersey Transit, which is nearly double from original estimates and far above the $120 million in federal funding approved to date. "That's the new cost estimate," said Dee. Officials in Pennsylvania and New Jersey have cooperated on a joint plan to restore service from New York's Penn Station through northern New Jersey into the Poconos and to Scranton. The service was terminated in 1970. Efforts to restore the line, which began in the 1980s, have gained momentum and political support in recent years, given Monroe County's population growth, which has helped fuel daily congestion on Interstate 80 in New Jersey and contributed to New Jersey's failure to meet the requirements of the federal Clean Air Act. New Jersey must address that issue by 2010 or lose billions in federal highway funding. Gov. Ed Rendell has committed $40 million in required matching funds to the project, but the higher cost estimate will double the match required from Pennsylvania and New Jersey to $100 million each. Despite the deficit, Hay said the project will proceed should it receive the "highly recommended" rating from the transit administration, which is required to draw on the federal funding. Hay added that with the environmental study completed, remaining items leading up to the federal rating, including a joint operating agreement between Pennsylvania and New Jersey, are moving quickly. In addition, Hay said the recent approval of a casino license for Mount Airy Lodge in Monroe County, which is located less than two miles from a proposed train station in Mount Pocono, has added support for the rail service, support proponents hope to see at the public hearings. "The funding is based on commuter service, not tourist," said Hay. "But we'd like them to know what tourism will do for us." Kevin Feeley, a spokesman for Mount Airy Lodge, said officials there would support "any type of solution to the challenges of bringing people to the area." "We've talked about it before and support the idea," said Feeley. Dee said the environmental assessment, which will be delivered to the transit administration with public comments this spring, will be available on the New Jersey Transit Web site. ©2007 - The Morning Call Online Byram Environmental Commission / NBCC Forum: Tough Love for our Lakes! Monday, January 29, 2007 – 7:00 pm Tough Love for our Lakes: Sharing lake management strategies and resources. Fran Smith, General Manager of the Lake Mohawk Country Club Frank X. Browne, of F.X. Browne, Inc., Lake Management Specialists Make plans now to be a part of this informative discussion at the historic Lake Mohawk Country Club! Please RSVP by January 25, 2007 to Margaret McGarrity, Byram Twp. Environmental Commission Secretary at (973) 347-2500 x138 or . Note: In the event of inclement weather, the “snow date” for this event is Wednesday, January 31, 2007 A printable .pdf flyer for this event is available online at http://www.NorthByram.org/pdf/tcrf_lakes_20070129.pdf Important Meeting Notice! Save Rural Andover Borough RESIDENTS, FRIENDS, NEIGHBORS - PLEASE TAKE NOTICE!! There are three very important meetings taking place later this month: January 31, 2007 and February 1, 2007 at 7:00 pm in the Andover Borough Fire House, residents will have an opportunity to provide valuable input and comments on the town’s future as the Council takes public input regarding the proposed Beazer project. These meetings are the result of a judge's order that the Borough go back and revisit - with additional public input - the decisions made last year regarding the developers agreement and overlay zoning. Your presence is vitally important - please show your elected officials that they made the right decisions last year, and provide them additional input on the proposed project. January 22, 2007 at 7:30 pm in the Andover Borough Hall, residents will have an opportunity again to provide valuable input and comments on the town’s future growth at a public hearing for the Borough's Master Plan reexamination. This reexamination process is the opportunity for the Borough to evaluate environmental constraints, infrastructure needs and zoning standards to enhance environmental protection and encourage economic growth in our town. The results of the hearing has potential to affect all properties, developed or undeveloped, or construction and/or renovations of existing properties. It is crucial that the Borough’s residents and business community participate in this process. This is your chance to have a say in the finished product. Your input is vital to this process. PLEASE, take these opportunities to join your neighbors and Borough officials in public meetings. These are the greatest chance you will have (outside the ballot box in municipal elections) to help shape the future of our town, its development and/or preservation, and the taxes you will pay for the years to come! Hope to see many of you there! Save Rural Andover Borough, Inc. For more information on the project that threatens our rural community, what has taken place over the last two years, and what we are doing to fight back, please visit our website at http://www.SaveAndover.org. Byram Township Closes on 45 acres for Trail System Byram - With the assistance of the Morris Land Conservancy (MLC), Byram Township successfully closed on the acquisition of 45 acres of land for open space preservation in the northwest corner of the township where Byram, Andover and Sparta all come together, according to Margaret McGarrity of the township’s environmental and open space commissions. The Owner’s Maintenance property was owned by a subsidiary of Helmsley Corp., according to Barbara McClosky of the MLC. Sandy Urgo, Land Preservation Specialist with the MLC, serves as Byram Township’s open space advisor and in that capacity, negotiated the acquisition for the township. The property towers over the southern end of Lake Mohawk with a view of the lake. It is accessible from Andover-Mohawk Road. The preservation of the site will benefit the future water quality of the lake, and ground water in the area. There is at least one underground spring that rises up on the property. The site also has particular value in protecting the beautiful viewshed surrounding Lake Mohawk. It is fairly sloped but the land is somewhat level once you reach the top, and the views are magnificent. The property will be held by the township for conservation and will be accessible to residents for recreational activities such as hiking and birding. The property is the second in what the township hopes to be a series of acquisitions in the northern sector which township officials hope to connect into the North Byram Greenway, McGarrity said. The township hopes to eventually connect several recent and future open space acquisitions in the northern portion of the Township, including one directly across Andover-Mohawk Road from the current purchase. McGarrity said a parking area serving both of these parcels will be installed on Andover-Mohawk Road and a kiosk may be erected to provide a map of the trail system. “We are pleased to report that Byram has formally closed this preservation deal using the open space funds dedicated for this purpose by our residents through the town’s Open Space Tax, with additional financial assistance from the State of New Jersey’s Green Acres program,” reported Township Manager Gregory Poff. The property was purchased for $250,000, with the State of New Jersey Green Acres Program providing more than 50 per cent of that price. The balance was funded through the Byram Township Open Space Trust. Sandy Urgo also stated, “Byram is quickly approaching a time when they will be in a position over the long term to plan a lovely connected greenway and trail network. This will provide residents of North Byram with resource-based recreational opportunities, and wildlife with green corridors, in perpetuity,” Urgo said, “Morris Land Conservancy applauds Byram Township for its pro-active approach to open space preservation.” “We are particularly grateful for the Conservancy’s continued patience, expertise and support throughout the course of this transaction” said Byram Open Space Chairman Raymond Bonker. “MLC continues to be a strong partner in our preservation efforts on behalf of our fellow citizens.” Morris Land Conservancy is celebrating its 25th anniversary as a member-supported nonprofit land trust dedicated to preserving open space land and protecting water resources in northern New Jersey. The Conservancy is known for building successful partnerships with communities, businesses and government agencies to provide the resources, skills, and experience necessary to preserve the region’s valuable open space lands. The Conservancy has helped preserve over 10,000 acres of natural lands during the past ten years and has set a goal of preserving 26,000 acres over the next decade. For more information, volunteer or make a donation, call (973) 541-1010. Copyright © 2007 Straus Newspapers. TOWNSHIP CONTACT INFORMATION Want to make your voice heard? The next regular Town Council Meeting is Tuesday January 16, 2007, 6:00 pm Special joint Council/Planning Board Highlands Meeting, 8:00 pm regular Council meeting at the Municipal Building. If you have matters you feel need to be addressed and wish to do so in person, please attend and voice your concerns during either of the open public comment sessions during the meeting. The next regular Township Planning Board meeting takes place on Thursday January 18, 2007, 8:00 pm at the Municipal Building. Open comments are heard at the end of these meetings, so plan on waiting until 10:00 pm or later if you want to speak to the Planning Board "in general." You can call the Township Offices at 973.347.2500 and leave messages for the Mayor, Council or Township Manager. The Township Website also lists the following contact information for the Mayor and Council: Mayor Eskil "Skip" Danielson Councilman Lou Esposito, Jr. Councilwoman Donna Griff Councilman James Oscovitch Councilman Earl Riley Township Manager Gregory Poff Click Here for the NBCC eNews Archive Index. For further information, contact © 2008 – ByramCARES. All rights reserved. |
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