Medford Township negotiating purchase of Park View Cemeteries from Medford Cemetery Association

In an effort to find new sources of revenue for the township, Medford officials are working on a project Deputy Mayor Jeff Beenstock says no municipality in New Jersey has done before.

Beenstock confirmed at last week’s Medford Township Council meeting the township is in negotiations to purchase the Park View Cemeteries from the Medford Cemetery Association.

Council has scheduled special meetings on Tuesday, March 24 at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday, March 28 at 10 a.m. At those meetings, complete details about the proposal and the transactions will be released.

No specific details about the proposal are available now since the township and Medford Cemetery Association are still negotiating the deal.

“We do not have a written agreement,” Beenstock said. “We are continuing to negotiate.”

Beenstock described the project as purely an investment opportunity. The township is looking to bring in extra revenue from sources other than taxes.

“Every year, the township has to raise from other sources money to fund its budget,” Beenstock said. “When we ran into financial trouble a few years ago, it was because we weren’t able to close that gap substantially.”

If the township purchases the cemetery, profits from the site would go into the township’s general fund. Beenstock said the amount of revenue coming into the township could be a “substantial” amount, potentially up to $1 million on an annual basis.

Medford Cemetery Association is a non-profit organization formed in 2008 to manage the old OddFellows Cemetery in Medford Village. The organization opened the Park View Cemetery at Kirby’s Mill in 2013.

Beenstock said the organization approached the township about purchasing the cemetery more than a year ago. The township decided to take a closer look at the group’s proposal last year. Negotiations with Medford Cemetery were a regularly listed topic on council’s executive session in 2014.

Members of council who spoke last week felt the idea would greatly benefit the town financially as well as its residents.

“We wouldn’t be bringing this up if it wasn’t in the township‘s best interests,” Councilman Chris Buoni said.

The meetings on March 24 and 28 will be held at the Public Safety Building and will also be live streamed at www.medfordtownship.com.

Deer fencing ordinance passed on first reading

Ten months after the issue was first discussed, council passed an ordinance on first reading establishing zoning regulations for deer fencing in the township.

The ordinance moved forward despite pleas from some residents to table the ordinance until the next meeting.

Resident Kevin Sparkman asked council to strike the deer fencing changes from the ordinance. He disagreed with the lack of a vegetation buffer requirement for the backyard of homes. He feels the fences may intrude on neighbors’ views in homes with open backyard views.

“It would be much more intrusive than what is allowed now,” Sparkman said.

Resident Bob Elmer also asked council to table the ordinance to allow residents more time to speak out and study the ordinance. He agreed with Sparkman, saying deer fencing could ruin the views in developments where backyards face a lake.

“Paddling on a lake and staring at an eight-foot fence is not an aesthetic improvement,” he said.

Beenstock and Tom Corbi, both members of the deer fencing subcommittee, said they put in a vegetation buffer requirement for front yards only because residents they spoke to were more concerned of the view of deer fences from their front yard rather than their back yard.

Sparkman also felt council spent too much time and resources into deer fencing rather than other issues.

“I’m kind of disappointed it’s proceeded to this point,” Sparkman said.

The deer fencing ordinance will now be referred to the planning board for approval at its next meeting on March 25. If the planning board approves it, the ordinance will be on council’s agenda for a public hearing and final adoption on April 7.