Aberdeen $30K Closer to Purchasing Land for Passive Recreation

Aberdeen is one grant closer to purchasing over 20 acres of land near the Old Bridge border.

The Greenwood Road property, owned by the Fiorino family, consists of old farm land and woods, and the township plans to preserve the land as open space by turning it into a passive recreation park, according to Township Manager Holly Reycraft.

The council accepted an additional $30,000 grant from the New Jersey Department of Environmental Resource Restoration Fund at their Mar. 6 meeting. The NJ DEP Resource Restoration Fund had already promised $100,000 toward the land acquisition, according to Reycraft.

The 21.4 acre property was appraised at $950,000 by the Trust for Public Land. Over the past two years, Aberdeen has raised $850,000 in grants - $316,250 from New Jersey Green Acres Funds, $250,000 from County of Monmouth Open Space Funds, $153,750 from Trust for Public Land Capital Fund and $130,000 from the NJ DEP Natural Resource Restoration Fund.

The township bonded meeting, which Reycraft said would only be used if there is not enough grant money to purchase the land.

However, she said the council is continuing their search for grants in order to cover the entire $950,000.

The tentative closing date for the property is in late April.