Township closes on Carson parcel

Lea Kahn, Staff Writer
The Lawrence Ledger

December 27, 2001

The land will most likely be used for passive recreation.

The long and winding road toward the purchase of the Carson Road Woods came to an end last week, with the passing of a check from Mayor Pam Mount to landowners G. Rieder & Sons of South Brunswick.

Close to a dozen township residents, including members of the Friends of Carson Road Woods, were on hand for the real estate closing at the municipal building.

Lawrence Township paid $8.4 million for the 183-acre parcel. It is located between Carson Road and Belleview Terrace, which is in the Rosedale Acres subdivision off Rosedale Road. The property also borders houses on Carter and Province Line roads.

The land has been threatened by development since the late 1980s, but the township's acquisition of the land means it will be permanently preserved for open space.

Of the $8.4 million purchase price, $3 million was raised privately by the Delaware and Raritan Greenway, which was acting on behalf of the township. Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. donated $1 million of that.

The remainder came from a combination of state, county and municipal funds. The Lawrence Township Conservation Foundation and the Delaware and Raritan Greenway also contributed $500,000 each.

At the closing, Mayor Mount said she wanted to hold the event "in a public way," because it was such a special moment for the township. Lawrence has been negotiating the purchase of the property for many years, she said.

When Municipal Manager William Guhl suggested buying the Carson Road Woods property several years ago, Township Council was skeptical, said Deputy Mayor Greg Puliti.

"We shook our heads. How are we going to do it? It was so much money. But our hats are off to Bill. We did it," Mr. Puliti said. Mr. Guhl negotiated for the purchase of the land, he added.

Councilman Rick Miller said he was "ecstatic" about the purchase of the land. Many groups pulled together to make the purchase a reality, he said.

Mr. Miller also thanked George Rieder and Gary Rieder of G. Rieder & Sons, who were present for the ceremony, for their graciousness in extending the deadline for the purchase. Several deadlines came and went earlier this year, as conservationists tried to raise $3 million in private money.

Now, the Friends of Carson Road Woods can get down to business and figure out how the property will be used, which definitely will be some form of passive recreation, said David Prescott who lives near the parcel and is a member of the group.

The Friends of Carson Road Woods is made up of about 15 to 20 people who are interested in determining how the land should be used, Mr. Prescott said. The group will make its recommendations to the township's Open Space Advisory Committee early next year, which in turn will make its own recommendation to Township Council, he said.

The Friends of Carson Road Woods formed several subcommittees to explore potential uses of the land, Mr. Prescott said. One group is interested in creating trails - determining how many trails and where they should lead, he said. The group is currently studying the existing trails on the property.

Another group is studying access to the Carson Road Woods, Mr. Prescott said. It may recommend creating a small access point on Carson Road, near Carter Road. There may be parking for a couple of cars.

The flora and fauna group has invited the Audubon Society to conduct a bird count over the next year, he said. The group will count birds as the seasons change. It will report on the bird life it has observed on the property, which may indicate what types of vegetation to plant.

And the publicity subcommittee is planning events to highlight Carson Road Woods, Mr. Prescott said. It may recommend an event to be held in the spring that would encourage people to use the property, he said.

"The Friends of Carson Road Woods encourages people to walk it now. It's a lovely place to be," Mr. Prescott said

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