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Local
Land Deal Stalled! |
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Town Loses Thousands of Acres and
Millions of Grant Dollars. |
Yourtown, NJ
-- 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. |
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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