Hazlet to bond $412K for open space purchase Resident: Open space tax should pay for acquisition BY JAMIE ROMM Staff Writer HAZLET - A bond ordinance to fund the acquisition of the 1.84-acre tract known as the Pfleger property for open space preservation was the topic of discussion at the April 1 Township Committee meeting. The township would appropriate $412,000, with $206,000 coming from a state Green Acres grant, and would authorize $412,000 in bonds or notes to be issued by the township to finance the remainder of costs. Hazlet resident Richard Kohler questioned the committee during the public hearing about the amount of money being appropriated for the property at 225 Middle Road. "The amount that we are bonding for, $412,000, seems like a lot of money for a lot that size," Kohler said. Kohler asked Township Administrator Michael Muscillo for a breakdown of how this particular bond ordinance would be paid for. "We have a grant for $206,000, but as for Green Acres, it is a matching grant, so we have to do the $412,000 because it is a 50 percent match; without getting into the negotiation part of it, it is less than the $412,000,"Muscillo said. "Then the rest of the money used to purchase this is coming out of the Open Space Trust Fund, but we have to show Green Acres that we bonded and we have the total amount of money." Greg Pfleger currently owns the land and the township will be purchasing the property for open space preservation. DiNardo explained to Kohler and the others in attendance how the Green Acres grant is helping to fund the acquisition. "We will pay the gentleman for his property, which is not the price that is stated there; we negotiated the price lower than that," DiNardo said. "That is an appraisal by Green Acres. They give us 50 percent of their appraisal up front; they will give us that in about two to three months down the road. DiNardo said that the open space tax also is a source of funding for the property. "We have to close the deal … and we will be reimbursed $206,000, which pays that note down $206,000," DiNardo said. "As soon as we get our open space tax approved, we will get another 25 cents on the dollar, so it is about another $103,000 we will get." The wooded property contains wetlands and uplands. Muscillo said that he has not officially made the cost of the property purchase public but said that it is "well under" the $412,000 being bonded. Already approved for development, the site instead will be preserved and maintained for habitat protection and passive recreational use. Kohler thought that the open space tax meant the end of bonding for land such as the Pfleger property. "It was my understanding that the open space tax that was passed about one year or so ago is that we would not have to bond for something like this," Kohler asked DiNardo. "We are trying to get the deal closed; the gentleman wants to sell the property. We are going to bond for this money for a very short period of time," DiNardo said. "It is a short-term note." Committeeman Joseph Belasco moved for the matter to be voted on at the April 14 meeting. By the end of the discussion,Kohler said he appreciated getting the information from the committee but he still disagreed about how much was being bonded. "As a citizen, I feel we are bonding for an exorbitant amount of money. I am against it," Kohler said. "You are in charge and you will do what you do."