Borough Council Seeks Funding For Fair Haven Fields Footpath

FAIR HAVEN, NJ – A years-old proposal to add a walking trail adjacent to Fair Haven Fields has been resurfaced by borough officials.

While the original plan did not win Open Spaces approval in 2017, officials are seeking to give the proposal another chance in 2020.

The Fair Haven borough council held a public hearing on Aug. 17 as part of a plan to seek $100,000 in funding from Monmouth County’s Open Space grant program. The borough will be matching the awarded amount.

The original proposal calls for using already-existing vegetation from McCarter Pond as a base for a new stone-dust trail on Fair Haven Road and Ridge Road. The stone trail would serve as a footpath to connect to a planned stretch of sidewalk on Brookside Farm Road where new houses have already been approved to be built, according to Red Bank Green.

The trail, slated to be eight feet wide, could easily cover the exposed roots of cherry trees on Fair Haven Road, which has already experienced some erosion. The path is set to extend west to Ridge Road and connect to an existing stone-dust trail in the area.

"The Monmouth County Board of Chosen Freeholders has approved an Open Space Trust Fund and established a Municipal Open Space Program to provide Program Grant funds in connection with municipal acquisition of lands for County park, recreation, conservation and farmland preservation purposes, as well as for County recreation and conservation development and maintenance purposes," the resolution reads.

Click here to see Monday’s meeting agenda.

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