Positive impact of park cannot be measured

Iwould like to comment on the letter to the editor from Frank J. Coury ("On Economic Effect of Open Space Programs," Sentinel, March 19) regarding the Heavenly Farms purchase.

Mr. Coury has a number of issues that he repackages from time to time — the pistol range, the bus contract, the Golden Triangle. On most of these, he makes a valid case. This is not one of them.

From an economic standpoint alone, it was one of the best decisions the Township Council ever made. The $12 million was borne mostly by county open-space grants and state aid, a point that Mr. Coury fails to mention. The cost to East Brunswick taxpayers was relatively minimal. Therefore, comparing the outlay from state and county funds for the purchase to the cost to East Brunswick taxpayers for school costs is disingenuous.

Further, we cannot pretend that the education expenses would end after 13 years. People don't retire in five-bedroom McMansions. They sell and resell the houses to people with school-age children. The school costs would go on indefinitely. And this notion that we should have allowed the homes to be built because the developer may have used local labor and businesses is unsupportable. For anyone who thinks builders have the local community in mind, I have two words: Toll Brothers.

But there is more to the purchase of open space than the economic benefit — there is such a thing as quality of life. I can't put a dollar amount on it, but I visit Heavenly Farms at least twice a week. I see children of all ages playing soccer, lacrosse, football and Frisbee together. In this time of video games, isolation and childhood obesity, you can't put a price on a clean, safe place for children to interact. There's even a place for dogs to exercise and play together. I also see people walking, jogging, bike riding, flying kites and model airplanes and just socializing.

What I don't see is more school buses. I don't see 50 more cars on Route 18. I don't see another referendum for a grammarschool expansion. I don't see for sale and foreclosed signs.

New Jersey is the most densely populated state in the nation. We have to stop and rethink the notion that every time there's a spot of green, we have to slap buildings on it.

We all know that various East Brunswick administrations have made decisions that have not panned out. The purchase of Heavenly Farms is not one of them. They should be commended for securing open-space funds for East Brunswick five years ago, and we should bear the fruits of that decision for many years to come.
Barry O'Sullivan
East Brunswick