The state Green Acres program has approved a $100,000 matching grant to help Morristown purchase two acres at 20 Hillcrest Ave. for a park.
Morris County allocated $254,000 for the project last year.
Word of the Green Acres award thrilled Bob Parker, a Hillcrest Avenue resident who has been crusading for years to preserve the steeply sloped, heavily wooded property.
“It’s a good investment for the community,” Bob said. “This will make for a beautiful pocket park. It oversees Morristown in a unique way that has yet to be discovered.”
Plans call for the vacant home at 20 Hillcrest to be demolished. According to the state Department of Environmental Protection:
Existing lawn areas will be maintained, as will the existing woodland. Future use is for picnic and play areas, and benches at the top of the hill to take advantage of the view.
Morristown officials expressed excitement about preserving the property, originally 10 parcels of land slated for development as Washington Heights Park prior to the Great Depression, Bob said.
“Knowing Morristown as we all do, the town doesn’t have a lot of open space,” said Mayor Tim Dougherty. “It’s crucial to that neighborhood that this parcel is preserved.”
Councilwoman Alison Deeb hailed the state grant as “fantastic.” In a letter supporting the Green Acres application, she spoke of the possibility for a “greenway” stretching from Foote’s Pond on James Street to Fort Nonsense and Budd Street Park to 20 Hillcrest and Burnham Park. She also welcomed the chance to save majestic trees from developers’ chainsaws.
The Hillcrest site was identified in the town’s 2004 Open Space and Recreation Plan by the Land Conservancy of New Jersey, which also supported the grant application.
“The preservation of this property is consistent with, and supportive of, the community’s effort to become a greener, more sustainable town for its residents,” Conservancy Vice President Barbara Heskins Davis wrote in a letter backing the project.
Samantha Rothman of the town environmental commission praised Phil Abramson of the town’s planning firm, Jonathan Rose Companies, for his grant-writing and for his presentation to the Morris County Open Space Trust Fund Committee.
UPDATE:
Next, the town will finalize its purchase agreement with the owners of 20 Hillcrest, said town Administrator Michael Rogers. The Kleitman family of the Boston area has “been waiting patiently” for the town to pursue grants, he said.
While acknowledging there is “always a possibility” of budget snags in Trenton, the administrator said he is fairly confident the Legislature will appropriate the Green Acres funds.
“We just have to wait and see,” Michael said. “We won’t close until we know the money is in hand.”
“In the meantime, we should all enjoy this victory!” Samantha Rothman said.
Bob Parker was all for that.
“It’s been a long journey,” he said.
Good news for Morristown and the neighboring Township residents.