Politics & Government

Fair Haven to Inherit Schwenker's Pond

Deal should be solidified in the next couple of weeks

Schwenker's Pond and part of what was long referred to as the Schwenker-Doremus Estate will soon belong to Fair Haven — in as little as a couple of weeks.

After grappling with a subdivision for the near 6-acre River Road site and seeing what is allowed whittled down to two homes on the site, present property owner David Carr has agreed to dedicate ownership of the pond — and the land 80 feet from the road into the property on the east side of the pond by the pump station traveling west toward Red Bank — to the borough.

And that's a good thing, as Mayor Ben Lucarelli sees it. "It's a piece of open space for our residents and that's great," he said. "People have always thought that the pond was public property anyway. This just makes it official and adds a piece of land for active and passive recreation."

There will be a walking trail on the westerly ridge of the property line; and Carr is responsible for clearing dead trees to make way for that, Lucarelli said.

"He had a plan for a subdivision with three homes, but that was shot down because of a rare species found on the property," the mayor added. "So, we welcomed the idea of this dedication to the borough."

The resolution sealing the deal will be memorialized in the first or second week of February, Lucarelli estimated. "We're just waiting for the developer's agreement."




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