Pitney Property Transition Plan Subcommittee
The Township Committee is seeking to initiate a subcommittee to develop and oversee the implementation of plan to transition the management of the Pitney Farm property from the Pitney family to the Township. The Committee is looking to staff the subcommittee with volunteers possessing a variety of backgrounds including, but not limited to, fund-raising, buildings and grounds maintenance, and financial/general management.
The plan document to be developed by the subcommittee will at its core contain a model for the future management of the property’s infrastructure and grounds. The plan will document all of the current maintenance activities and their associated costs, as well as make recommendations on any additional areas to be addressed as the Township assumes responsibility for the property. The plan will also layout options for how the Township can sustain the cost of these maintenance responsibilities without impacting the tax-payers and/or expanding current Township building and grounds operations. These options include:
- Establishment of a trust fund for property maintenance (including a fund-raising plan).
- Establishment of a land/building stewardship program utilizing existing buildings (subsidized rents in lieu of property maintenance services).
- Establishment of a fair market lease structure for some/all of the residential properties on-site that could provide a revenue stream to offset on-going maintenance costs.
- Establishment of potential activities which could be conducted on-site to generate funding to offset maintenance costs (i.e. entrepreneurial activities utilizing the property’s resources – plant sales, fee based community gardening, etc., special events, etc.).
- Identification of areas where volunteer resources could be utilized to supplement paid efforts to maintain the property (i.e. garden club, High School service club, Boy/Girl Scouts, other service agencies.
- Identification of grant programs that the Township would be eligible to submit funding requests associated with property maintenance.
- Identification of potential public/private partnership opportunities that could help offset direct municipal support of property maintenance (i.e. County Parks Commission, local businesses, i.e. landscapers).
Residents interested in being considered for appointment to the subcommittee should send their resumes to the Township Clerk Ann Carlson at
acarlson@mendhamtownship.org or to Post Office Box 520 Brookside, NJ 07926. Residents with questions about the sub-committee and/or the transition plan may contact Township Administrator Steve Mountain at 973-543-4555.
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