Senator Prime Sponsor Of Bill Dedicating Millions for Preservation, Recreational Development
TRENTON – Legislation sponsored by Senator Linda Greenstein (D-Middlesex/Mercer) to provide direct grants to numerous organizations for the preservation of open space and the acquisition or development of land for recreational purposes has been signed into law by Governor Chris Christie.
The measure (S-2858) was among three bills signed by the governor that will protect open space and recreational areas in the state through grants and loans to county and local governments and community organizations. Combined, the three bipartisan bills (S-2857, S-2858 and S-2859), which were approved unanimously by the Legislature, will provide $157 million in funding for projects across the state.
“New Jersey residents recognize the importance of preserving land for open space and recreation, and have demonstrated their support for these efforts by approving numerous referendums over the years for these purposes,” said Senator Greenstein, a member of the Senate Environment & Energy Committee. “With the signing of this legislation, we can continue the state’s long-standing tradition of protecting our open spaces and recreational areas by making available critical funding for local preservation efforts in our communities. This will go a long way toward ensuring that future generations of New Jerseyans are able to enjoy the rich quality of life that we do today.”
The measures signed this week appropriate funding as follows: S-2857 provides $84.5 million from the “2009 Green Acres Fund” and the “Garden State Green Acres Preservation Trust Fund” for local government open space acquisition and park development projects; S-2858 dedicates $14.8 million from the “2009 Green Acres Fund” and the “Garden State Green Acres Preservation Trust Fund” for grants to certain nonprofit entities to acquire or develop lands for recreation and conservation purposes; S-2859 allocates $45 million from the “2009 Green Acres Fund” and $12 million from “2009 Blue Acres Fund” for State acquisition of lands for recreation and conservation purposes, including Blue Acres projects.
Local projects in the three-bill package include:
Municipality County Project Funding Amount
West Windsor Twp Mercer Duck Pond Run-Greenway Initiative $100,000
Hamilton Twp Mercer Hamilton Twp Open Space Acquisition $675,000
Mercer County Mercer Mercer County Planning Incentive $1,125,000
Middlesex County Middlesex Middlesex County Open Space Acq $1,125,000
South Brunswick Twp Middlesex Open Space Acquisition $675,000
Cranbury Twp Middlesex Cranbury Twp Acquisition $450,000
