NEWS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

County to Purchase 232 Acres for Open Space

April 20, 2007 -- The Middlesex County Board of Chosen Freeholders announced it has entered into a contract to purchase 232 acres in East Brunswick for the County's Open Space Preservation Program. The land had been approved to house 57 homes and a sewage treatment facility.

"This is a significant purchase for our Open Space Preservation Program and I'm very excited to make this announcement," said Freeholder Director David B. Crabiel. "Saving these 232 acres from being developed reduces the strain on schools and roads and other infrastructure that would have been felt had the homes been built."

The Freeholders voted at their regular meeting last night to use up to $13 million from the Middlesex County Open Space and Recreation and Farmland and Historic Preservation Trust Fund to purchase the land, known as Tamarack Hollow. The purchase is expected to be completed by August.

The land consists of four parcels and is located off Fresh Ponds Road and Church Lane. A sewage treatment facility to serve the approved housing development also was planned for the site, owned by developer M & M at Tamarack Hollow.

The Township of East Brunswick will contribute an additional $500,000 to the purchase. The agreement provides for East Brunswick to receive a conservation easement on a portion of the land.

"We are thrilled that the County is saving these acres from development and preserving them," said East Brunswick Mayor William P. Neary. "I thank the Freeholders for their support and their commitment to protecting open lands. We could not have taken on this purchase alone."

The Tamarack Hollow purchase is the latest joint purchase the County has undertaken with municipal partners. Such partnerships help each entity purchase lands they may not have been able to buy on their own.

"My Freeholder colleagues and I are proud of the number of successful partnerships we've formed with municipalities to acquire open lands throughout the County," said Freeholder Camille Fernicola, liaison to the County Open Space Advisory Committee. "Working together helps us reach our shared goal of preserving these precious lands more efficiently and more effectively. I thank Mayor Neary and the East Brunswick Township Council for their cooperation in this effort."

More than 6,275 acres of Open Space has been preserved or placed under contract since the program began in 1997. The County also has preserved 3,900 acres of farmland.

Currently, the Middlesex County Improvement Authority, which completes due diligence for the County's Open Space program, is evaluating 1,500 acres for possible acquisition.

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