835-Acre Property Acquired for $4.6M

When Russell Felter and Michael Sanchelli were sworn in as ’s mayor and councilman, respectively, some 14 years ago, Felter told Sanchelli, “you might think I’m crazy, but I’m going to get [the Baker Firestone] property for the town.”

On Thursday, it became official. What was once known as the Baker Firestone property, off Route 15 North in Lake Hopatcong, now belongs partly to Jefferson Township and partly to the state after the Trust for Public Land (TPL) purchased the property for $4.6 million.

The 835 acres of property is contiguous to 3,000 acres of Jefferson Township property already owned and preserved by the state. It will be divided up with 188 acres going to the township and the other 647 going to the state to be added to the Rockaway River Wildlife Management Area.

Funding for the acquisition includes:

• $1.9 million from federal Highlands Conservation Act funds;
• $1.6 million from New Jersey Green Acres State Land Acquisition funds;
• $800,000 from the Morris County Open Space Trust Fund; and
• $241,280 from a Green Acres Planning Incentive Grant awarded to Jefferson Township.

According to Felter, plans for the 188 acres include both passive and active recreation.

“We’d like to build some fields on the property, possibly soccer and softball,” he said. “We’re also thinking about a community garden and lots of walking and hiking trails.”

The township celebrated the acquisition with a ceremony attended by several dignitaries, including Congressman Rodney Frelinghuysen, Freeholders John Cesaro and Ann Grossi and Carolyn Fefferman, senior advisor to Senator Robert Menendez, as well as representatives from TPL, the Department for Environmental Protection and the county Open Space Trust Fund.

“This is an absolutely spectacular piece of property,” Felter said. “There have been arguments in many towns about preserving open space as opposed to selling it so that towns can have ratables. We feel very strongly in Jefferson about buying property to protect it for future generations.”