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Freeholders Focus On Preservation Of Land, Military Bases And Traffic Flow
By Bill McLaughlin
Manchester residents may profit from three initiatives announced last week by the Ocean County Board of Chosen Freeholders.
The first effort the board announced is the purchase, via the National Lands Trust, of an 18-acre site on the western edge of the former Ciba Geigy site that would keep the site in its natural state in perpetuity; the second initiative pertains to the long-awaited road improvement project at the intersection of Route 571 and Commonwealth Boulevard, which is slated to begin this summer, with a fifth lane being installed to allow turns from either direction on Route 571; and finally, a $30,000 study is in the works by the county planning department to provide a big picture on future growth around three military bases in the region.
The purchase of the 18 acres on the former Ciba Geigy site is an ongoing effort by the freeholder board to set aside environmentally sensitive lands by teaming up with federal and private groups for purchases. Ciba Geigy was closed two decades ago after massive pollution was discovered on the site.
"(The officials of) Manchester had the land appraised for $2,520,000 and the county will pay one-fourth the price," said Freeholder John Bartlett.
The result, Bartlett said, is that the Ridgeway branch of the Toms River will be protected from development-driven pollution.
"Our goal here is to protect our water resources," he said.
The purchase would provide a buffer zone between the long-shuttered pollution site and Pine Lake Park to the west. Targeting the 18 acres is another, in a string of land purchases by the county, designed to provide green space to rapidly growing municipalities.
"When you make a purchase like this, it starts to make sense as you acquire more (nearby)," Bartlett said. "Our interest is in the water courses. This is a good deal for us. It's a good deal for Manchester. It's good for us all."
On the eastern end of town, the purchase of the last large privately held tract will provide the final piece in the 15,000-acre greenway of public land from Beachwood through Berkeley into Manchester.
Study Seen As Effort To
Preserve Military Base Integrity
In a bid to smooth the transition for future generations, the freeholders approved letting the planning department work on a study of future land uses and development in the region.
The hope is to preserve the integrity of Fort Dix, McGuire Air Force base and the Naval Air Engineering Station in Lakehurst, and help the military bases plan for future needs before private development encroaches.
The demise of Fort Monmouth after 90 years as a military installation is the latest reminder that the size and number of Armed Forces bases nationwide keeps shrinking, according to the freeholders, who said the objective of the study is to find new ways to support the military bases.
Emil Kaunitz, president of Specialty Systems, Inc., a Toms River information technology company, spoke to the freeholders last week on the importance of having a plan, saying the $30,000 earmarked for this study would show the area is military-friendly and willing to work for the common good.
The local seed money would be more than matched by some $250,000 to $300,000 in federal funds. At stake is the future of about 18,000 high-paying, current civilian jobs, the life blood of many communities in Burlington and Ocean counties, according to Kaunitz. "The freeholder board should be commended for stepping up in getting us this study," Kaunitz said. "This will help protect the economic health of the community. Those salaries are federal dollars."
By taking this peek into the future, the freeholders' hope is that more high-paying jobs will be generated, with the highly-skilled work force prospering.
"Those Navy R&D (research and development) jobs are important to our nation's defense," Kaunitz said. "They develop systems that are used in every part of the military today and into the future. McGuire is an operational base where civilian workers perform military jobs, where one rolls into the other."
"Often, active duty personnel retire into civilian life doing the same jobs," Kaunitz said. Many are technical and training positions that are in constant demand."
Without the support of the freeholders, Kaunitz said Lakehurst might have gone the way of Fort Monmouth.
"Without that great support, (Lakehurst) would not have survived those last cuts," Kaunitz concluded.
The study will benefit Ocean County residents long into the future, long after the current board of freeholders is retired, said
Freeholder Gerry Little.
"This will benefit our grandchildren," he said. "It will help us 50 years down the road."
The freeholder also said the study will help municipalities handle future growth while "enabling them to fulfill the military mission."
Little pointed to the three bases as one mega-site that could be made more secure by the size and clarity of future prospects. It underscores a working relationship with the affected municipalities' master plans and hopes to meld private and military planning.
"These are recession-proof, good-paying jobs for professionals," said Freeholder Joseph Vicari.
Keeping the next generation of workers at home depends on providing jobs with a future, Kelly said.
"Young people are looking for good, wellpaying jobs," he said.
The board will formally authorize the study, which is expected to take 18 months to complete, at its March 21 public meeting.
Board Optimistic Fifth
Lane Will Reduce Gridlock
As roads get more congested, the county engineering department has tried to keep one step ahead of future gridlock. The freeholders will spend $300,000 for a left turn lane at the Commonwealth intersection. The board will accept bids for the project later this month.
"We already have four travel lanes along
Route 571 where it meets Commonwealth
Boulevard," said Freeholder John P. Kelly. "This work will add a fifth lane that will allow
for left turns on Route 571."
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