CREST HAVEN – A development easement, approved by the Board of County Commissioners Feb. 8, will set aside 339.74 acres in Dennis Township. According to Leslie Gimeno, county planning director, the parcel is a portion of Bohm’s Sod Farm in Eldora.
The State Agriculture Development Committee’s (SADC) appraiser certified a price of $2,400 per acre. At that price, $366,919 will be the state’s 45% purchase share.
Under the Planning Incentive Grant program, the county will use Open Space and Farmland Preservation funds for the remainder ($448,457) of the $815,376 purchase.
Freeholders, at the time, accepted and authorized the acquisition of the easement from DLB Holdings LLC in a Nov. 12, 2019, resolution. The SADC gave its consent to the expenditure Jan. 23, 2021.
Amend Bridge Engineering Amounts
County Engineer Robert Church explained the reasons for the board to amend an earlier funding agreement with the federal government for the Middle Thorofare Bridge improvements.
The original 2021 resolution called for a 50-50 split between the county and federal governments for preliminary engineering costs for design work.
To do that, Church explained, would require the project funding to be listed by the state Department of Transportation “TIP” as a requirement for federal funding.
According to Church and the resolution approved by commissioners, to do so would have had an “adverse impact” on the county’s “ability to pursue and secure outside funding sources and delaying the entry into the ‘TIP’ will provide the time necessary to secure outside funding sources…”
As a result, the county will fully fund the tab for preliminary engineering on the bridge project. That will allow more federal funding for other phases of the project.
Open Space Funding Approvals
Commissioners approved the following Open Space requests:
Dennis Township Bike Path, additional funding of $430,000 for a total of $1.17 million.
Dennis Township Chestnut Street Park in Belleplain for increases in the cost of the project, additional funding of $500,000 for a total of $1.52 million.
Cape May for stabilization of the former Allen A.M.E. Church, for a total of $240,000. The structure is on the state and national Registers of Historic Places.
Cape May, Mid-Atlantic Center for the Arts for preservation as part of its capital projects, a total of $25,842.
Lower Township, Historic Cold Spring Village Foundation for preserving the historic Grange building, a total of $29,430.
Wildwood, Byrne Community Center Complex Improvements, for $2.9million.
The hearing for the above projects was held Dec. 14, 2021, at a regular Board of County Commissioners meeting.
Toucan Exhibit Change Order
The original $233,000 contract with MJJ Construction LLC to build the Toucan Exhibit at the County Zoo had a change order approved Feb. 8 for $5,823.
The funds will pay for additional work to furnish and install electrical service, remove unsuitable soils, and replace them with stone, install strapping at the roof and finish and hardware changes.
Transport Services Change OK’d
Inspira Medical Centers Inc. has acquired the Belleplain Emergency Corp. The latter had a contract with the county for the medical transport of patients at Crest Haven Nursing and Rehabilitation Center.
Commissioners approved the contract assignment that became effective Dec. 1, 2021.
