A Vision Grounded in a Strong Heritage and Promising Future

Thuy Anh Le and John Beggiato know that local businesses in Hillsborough can be more prosperous if the public is drawn to the many attractions that Hillsborough and the surrounding area have to offer. We have a vision to link the heritage of a farming community to the present interest in recreational activities that can be tied to strengthening our local businesses. A comprehensive buy local program that brings customers to our local businesses through arts, culture, and recreation will provide the economic prosperity and future that Hillsborough can have.

Hillsborough is quickly becoming a recreational destination with such major attractions as Duke Farms, (attracted 700,000 visitors since opening in May 2012), the 5,000–acre Sourland Mountain Preserve, and the Millstone Valley Scenic Byway. It is time for our town leaders to recognize the related business opportunities, forge strong partnerships with Duke Farms, the Sourland Conservancy Foundation, and the Millstone Valley Historic Preservation Coalition, and take action.

The fact is that Hillsborough has several wonderful parks, open spaces, a regionally known environmental center, and working farms, providing semi-rural areas that attract people for their scenic and tranquil beauty. The Millstone Valley Preservation Coalition opened the Griggstown Bridge Tender’s House interpretative center this past weekend, promoting the 27-mile Millstone Valley National Scenic Byway. The D&R Canal is an oasis of natural lands in the midst of towns, in the most heavily populated state in our country. The Sourland Mountain Preserve and the surrounding area is becoming a destination for hikers and bikers from the tri-state area, and sponsors special events. The Historic Borough of Millstone features the John Van Doren historic home and the Millstone Forge.

“All of these treasures should be promoted by our town. We recognize that visitors appreciate what residents already know about our beautiful town. Hillsborough can be a recreational attraction if it is our leadership’s priority to promote our town that way.” said Mr. Beggiato , current President of  BoroGreen, a nonprofit community group. ”Then existing businesses will get a boost from additional customers and new businesses will be attracted to Hillsborough because of what we have to offer.”

Thuy Anh Le and John Beggiato already recognized the “gems in our community” many years ago, working tirelessly to promote sustainability both for residents who want to be more energy-efficient and environmentally aware, but also for businesses and organizations that support local agriculture, fresh food, recreation, and open space.   While Le was on the Sustainable Hillsborough Steering Committee, they co-founded BoroGreen with others to support sustainable living, thereby increasing interest in local businesses, open space, and farms.  During this period, Sustainable Hillsborough earned Bronze certification for the Township and Thuy Anh Le earned the Somerset County Woman of the Year award for environmental initiatives.  BoroGreen quickly grew and engaged residents in topics such as organic community farming for the Food Bank, anti-idling, green mapping, and energy efficiencies in homes and schools.

BoroGreen encourages local residents to patronize farms, farm stands, farmers markets, community sustained agriculture (CSA’s) and businesses using local food or farms in our region.  The group organized a tour of Lima Farms last summer so that participants could visit their farm stand and had a lovely time listening to Farm Manager Ryan White talk about the advantages of sustainable farming.  This year, BoroGreen hopes to help residents know what is available and during which season at local farms.  They will highlight farms by sharing pictures of what they grow or offer at their website, www.borogreen.org

At the BoroGreen Discover Food Conference that took place at Duke Farms this past March, participants sampled foods from many local farms and food purveyors so that residents could see a connection between eating local foods, good health, and well-being. As you can see from this video, there were interesting stories behind the foods that local businesses brought for sampling. http://www.yourtowntube.com/video/10188/Discover-Food-Duke-Farms-BoroGreen-speakers-and-exo

As hundreds of Hillsborough residents register their objection to an off track wagering facility through an online petition and by attending public meetings, it initiates the debate about what kind of business environment we want to promote for a vibrant town that continues to attract people to move here. If our township had vigorously promoted local attractions, we believe that different businesses would have been attracted to a restaurant site that is 150 feet away from Docherty Park and 0.8 miles from Duke Farms. Unfortunately, Duke Farm visitors are more likely to go to Somerville or Princeton for their vibrant downtown centers and wide variety of restaurants. “With vision, your elected officials can collaborate with Duke Farms, several local farmer’s markets such as Doyle, Mallery, and Lima Farms, the Somerset County Farm Bureau, the Sourland Conservancy, and the D&R Canal State Park, to promote Hillsborough as a charming regional destination. Consideration of this vision can be built into the long-anticipated use of the GSA depot. We can do so much more to promote and strengthen our local businesses,” stated Le.  With your vote, that is what John Beggiato and Thuy Anh Le are eager to do for Hillsborough as your Township Committee representatives.

To help us make this vision a reality, please contact us at le.beggiato4borotc@gmail.com and like us at www.facebook.com/le.beggiato4borotc to receive useful information.