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Local
Land Deal Stalled! |
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Town Loses Thousands of Acres and
Millions of Grant Dollars. |
Yourtown, NJ
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After months of delays and indecision, staff resignations
and
the committee’s confusion,
municipal officials in Yourtown, NJ announced yesterday they
were unable to acquire or preserve 500 acres of prime land
in the Township.
Mayor Chris Smartt said, “we just couldn’t get our act together quickly enough” to respond to the developer’s offer to Mr. & Mrs. Farmer. “We believe that this farmland was perfect to preserve as open space, plus a small piece across Main Street could have become our new town park, with plenty of room for more soccer and Little League fields, which we sorely lack.”
Planning Board Chairman Pat Jones said everyone’s heart and spirit “were in the right place,” but we just were not sure what to do next, or exactly who to call to get a straight answer. What we needed was a single “point person” or Project Manager to keep the ball rolling in the right direction and make sure we all did what we were supposed to do, such as; scheduling public hearings, getting appraisals,
arranging meetings with State Officials, staying on top of the
negotiations, coordinating the Township Council, Planning
Board and Historical Committee, or guiding the Township
Attorney, Planner and Municipal or Consultant Engineer. There were plenty of people ready to help, but no one with
the experience, knowledge, foresight, or ability to guide or
coordinate.
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| Where's
the Farmer? Mayor
Chris Smartt was unable to complete this picture since no deal
was reached to preserve / acquire this farm. |
Also, the Township Manager
was just too busy with his regular duties, our Mayor has a
full time job, and the volunteers, no matter how dedicated and
enthusiastic, just didn’t have the necessary training,
contacts and/or authority to carry it out. |
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We
Can Help Your Town Complete This Picture!
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Jersey Professional Management has the experienced Point Person on staff, with a full project management team ready to back him/her up.
We can:
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- Contact State Officials regarding available grant funds.
- Coordinate your municipal professionals, such as engineer, attorney, appraiser, etc.
- Work closely with your volunteers, Citizen Advisory Committee, Planning Board, etc.
- Recommend and help implement policies, procedures and schedules.
- Seek State and other grant funds.
- Complete a quick review of your current situation and create an organized Action Plan.
- Continue as your overall land preservation coordinator.
908-276-2777
E-mail: jerseyprof@aol.com |
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