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HILLSBOROUGH & MANVILLE – Somerset County officials’ vision for a winding, contiguous greenway along the scenic Raritan River corridor has received a significant boost with the acquisition of 197 acres straddling these two municipalities.

The county closed last week on the Maverick Construction Co. tract that includes the former landfill used by Johns-Manville Corp.

The landfill section of the property has been capped, as required by state regulations, and will not be used. But the remainder of the property is envisioned for passive recreation as part of the Raritan River Greenway, Freeholder Director Robert Zaborowski said.

“We already have acquired several hundred acres as part of this greenway,” he said. “The addition of almost 200 more is a tremendous asset to our preservation efforts in this area.” He noted that the Maverick property acquisition brings the total of preserved open space in Somerset County to just over 10,000 acres, or half the county’s ultimate preservation goal.

Purchase price for the land was $700,000. Maverick Construction Co., based in Hillsborough, was owned by Frank A. Marchello, who died in 2002. The landfill portion of the tract is just under half the total acreage.

The county has agreed to allow continued use of a ball field and clubhouse on the property by the Manville Youth Athletic League which will be guaranteed through a long-term lease agreement with the Borough of Manville.

Freeholder Director Zaborowski commended the Somerset County Park Commission, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) and consultants Cuyler-Burk of Parsippany and Kleinfelder of Hamilton for bringing the purchase to fruition.

He credited Somerset County Parks Directory Raymond Brown and Planning and Land Acquisition Manager Tom Boccino; attorneys Ed Collins, Andrew Craig and Richard A. Crooker of Cuyler Burk; professional engineer Donald W. Richardson of Kleinfelder; NJDEP Assistant Commissioner of Site Remediation Irene Kropp; and Ken Kloo and Ian Curtis of the NJDEP Office of Brownfields Reuse.

Cuyler Burk, PC. a Morris County law firm has announced its intention to begin blogging.

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