Council to purchase 3.4-acre open space site
Route 130 tract, near No. Brunswick High, may have contaminated soil
BY MELISSA CIFELLI
Staff Writer

NORTH BRUNSWICK — The Township Council is expected to vote next week on an ordinance to acquire additional open space.

The 3.4-acre parcel of land on Route 130 was originally planned for development of eight single-family homes by the property owners, according to Mayor Francis “Mac” Womack.

According to Womack, the township became involved in negotiations to purchase the land after it was discovered that the parcel may be contaminated, and the property owners’ contract with the developer was terminated.

The township will pay $495,000 for the land, which will remain as undeveloped open space.

The purchase of the property presented a good opportunity to ensure there was no further development of the area, Womack said.

According to Womack, testing by the township revealed possible contamination of the same type that contaminates the site of the nearby North Brunswick High School, Raider Road.

Despite the possible contamination, Womack said he believes if the area is left alone but monitored, there would be no need for a cleanup, since it would not affect residents living in the area.

According to Womack, if the township did not purchase the property, it may have left the township open to potential lawsuits by property owners and forced the township to pay for the cleanup process, which could cost as much as the purchase.

The township has bonded $11 million to finance the cleanup at the high school.

Contamination was found by a contractor during the school’s expansion process, which was halted in August 2003.

The site was found to have hazardous and nonhazardous wastes, including arsenic, copper, lead, thallium and zinc, at levels above the state’s standards.