New Life for Pascale Park?
Recent actions by the Township Committee have highlighted the need to refresh its establishment thinking and eliminate the complacent lethargy of this group.
On July 8, 2008 the Committee passed Ordinance #12-2008 creating the Pascale Advisory Committee. As an advisory committee it has no power of its own; it is charged with implementing the 2004 Pascale Park Utilization Plan, a step toward identifying the park land’s characteristics, assets, ecological features, plant and wildlife, and recommending the future use of those assets to their best purpose.
It sounds like a good idea; since we have the property, let’s figure out what to do with it. A closer look at the events leading to this action, however, reveals inept management and lip service to planning for preservation.
In 2004 a citizens’ group led by David Herbst was asked by the Township Committee to make its recommendations about the development and use of the Pascale property purchased a few years earlier. That report was completed at the end of 2004; the Township Committee approved the report and funded its first year.
However, the property was purchased partially with state funds and was originally classified for both active (playing fields) and passive (hiking trails) use. Not wanting to permit active use of the Pascale property, the Township Committee took steps to change the classification to passive only. That required filing with Trenton and bureaucratic paper work – which was not completed till early in 2007. Meanwhile, it seems, the Utilization Plan was conveniently forgotten by those who should have been administering it.
By coincidence, an ad hoc citizens group interested in the future of Pascale Park was formed in the spring of 2007 and, after reaching out to all potential interested parties, learned of the pre-exisiting Pascale Utilization Plan.
That ad hoc group lobbied the members of the Township Committee to do something about the park and the plan. Six months later, the Township Committee passed the Ordinance noted above.
At this point one might say “Well, it took them four years to reinstate the original plan, but at least we’re back where we started“ but that wouldn’t be so.
Although the plan was funded in 2004, the ordinance passed in 2008 specifically prohibits a budget allocation. In other words, the group charged with assessing and developing our park cannot use Township money to do it. According to the Township Committee all needed actions can be performed “in house” by township employees. But, those employees have been responsible for upkeep since before 2004 and have done nothing in four years to further the plan. What makes anyone think action will occur now?
So, the Committee’s history of inaction, delay and failing to properly fund projects important to our community continues. Further, the opportunity to use the Pascale Park effort as a pilot program for all our public park lands has been ignored in the Ordinance.
Unfortunately, it’s business as usual: ineffective management, poor planning and basically ignoring important citizen issues.
We can do better!
Land Use Tax Increase
The Hunterdon County Democrat on July 17 printed a front page story about Tewksbury’s Township Committee wanting to raise our open space tax from 5 cents to eight cents per $100 of assessed property valuation for the next 10 years. My opponent wants to use the new tax money to reduce the bond debt more quickly – “like prepaying a mortgage.” While paying down debt is a laudable goal, we should all give careful consideration to this 60 per cent tax increase.
With tough times and people in our township facing the loss of their homes (I have clients in such situations) because of high mortgage rates and taxes, recommending any tax increase at this time points up insensitivity to our economic realities.
Be that as it may, let’s consider the purpose of this new tax. The township has issued bonds of more that $27 Million (that’s roughly $5000 of debt for each one of us) so the Township Committee could purchase large plots of land and support the planning incentive grant (PIG) program. Some of the land purchased was Fairmont and Pascale Parks and the Pottersville and Hell Mountain Preserves – well over 300 acres.
Last year the estimated value of our public lands was over $100 million. Even with the current decrease in land values all must agree they represent a very valuable township asset.
Current management of that asset is poor to nonexistent. There are no maps available which specifically delineate our park lands, no signs showing where they are (except for Christy Hoffman), no parking maintained at the preserves. Except for the mandate to the Pascale Park advisory committee (discussed elsewhere) no plans for the use, development and priorities relating to our public lands have been created or contemplated. There are no lines in our budget for their maintenance.
I believe we need better management of this valuable asset and greater access by our townspeople.
So, whether an increased tax or not, use the open space tax not only to draw down our debt, but allocate part of it to the maintenance of the property already acquired – as other municipalities do. That would require modifying our current land use tax ordinance, but the Township Committee is already planning to do that – why not do it right?
To be sure our money is properly applied, let’s require a well thought out plan for the development, maintenance and use of our public lands. It seems the Township Committee has no qualms about raising the open space tax; let’s see what they do about adequate planning for its use. I’d insist on that before supporting a tax increase.
We can do better!
