Funding For New Park Trails Awarded To Mendham Township

MENDHAM, NJ — Mendham Township is home to one of eight trail projects recommended for funding by the Morris County Board of County Commissioners as part of the county's Trail Construction Grant Program.

The Buck Hill Tract Natural Area park, located off of Temple Wick Road in Mendham Township, will be receiving $42,080 as part of the grant program, officials said. The grant program's goal is to provide recreational trail use opportunities that benefit communities and improve the quality of life for Morris County residents.

Buck Hill Tract Natural Area is located in the upper reaches of the Passaic River's headwaters. The terrain is made up of rolling hills divided by two streams and interspersed with lowland swamps and springs.

During the County Commissioners' open work session in Morristown, Betty Cass-Schmidt, chair of the Trail Construction Grant Advisory Committee, presented the grant recommendations for 2022 after some consideration.

The presentation went into detail about the planned alterations to the Buck Hill Tract Natural Area park, which included the addition of a.23-mile gravel trail and a five-foot-wide ADA-compliant trail.

The committee's long-term goal is to develop an accessible park in the neighborhood to increase recreational opportunities for residents of all ages and abilities on a 74-acre undeveloped plot of land within the park.

The County Commissioners will vote on whether to accept the grant recommendation at their Dec. 21, 2022 meeting.

Since its inception, the Commissioner-appointed advisory committee has recommended 47 grant awards totaling 28 miles, with 21 of the projects completed.

"The program continues to build momentum. Each year we see new municipalities who had not previously participated, apply to the program. There are also municipalities returning to the program who have had success in previous years. Nine municipalities have received more than one grant," Cass-Schmidt said.

Funding for trail projects comes from the Morris County Preservation Trust Fund, which was established in 1992 and later amended with voter approval in 2002 to create the Historic Preservation Fund.

In 2014, voters approved a ballot measure by a vote of 3 to 1, which would have modified the trust fund once more, allowing trail development as an approved use for a portion of the funds.

"The trail network we have been developing throughout Morris County offers an easy and accessible respite to everyone looking to get outside, exercise or even just to clear their head – by walking, jogging and riding bikes through our bucolic towns," said Commissioner Stephen Shaw, the board liaison to Morris County’s Office of Planning and Preservation.

If the proposed projects are approved by the County Commissioners next week, Morris County will have committed nearly $5 million to the establishment of 28.37 miles of trails in just seven years since the Trail Construction Grant program's inception in 2016.