Toms River Votes to Buy Camp Albocondo, Lakewood Rd. Lot; Some Residents Balk

A number of residents came to Tuesday night's Toms River Council meeting to voice opposition to the purchase of Camp Albocondo and an undeveloped lot on Lakewood Road.

The council voted unanimously to purchase both lots, though the Camp Albocondo purchase is conditioned on the county's freeholder board likewise voting to fund nearly half the $4.1 million purchase price. The township's share of the purchase would be $2.2 million while the county's share would be $1.9 million.

Though both purchases elicited objections from some residents, the $2.5 million purchase of 2373 Lakewood Road – which the township will purchase on its own – was met with fiercer opposition than Camp Albocondo. Both purchases, officials said, will be funded through the township's open space trust fund – funded through a voter-approved tax levy each year – not through the township's operating or capital budgets.

"I think with all the Sandy funds, this is not the time we should be buying a piece of property that, really, nobody cares about," said resident Paul Humphries, in reference to the Lakewood Road lot. "Why would we buy a piece of property that will do nothing for the Township of Toms River?"

"It seems a little unnecessary to spend such a large amount of money on such an obsolete piece of land," resident Albert Pollioni told the council.

But the council members did not waiver in their stance that both purchases will be beneficial to the township and its residents. Council President Maria Maruca said both plots of land will be added to the township's open space inventory and will protect the lots from development that could result in a need for additional township services as well as an environmental impact.

"If a developer would have purchased the property, they would have been able to develop 250 senior homes or 60 single family homes," said Councilman George Wittmann, referring to Camp Albocondo.

The Lakewood Road lot, he said, is located in an area of the township where services and utilities are not readily accessible and would require township money to be spent on such services if it were to be developed.

Some residents also objected to spending $2.5 million to purchase the Lakewood Road lot since it is assessed on the tax rolls at $700,000, though Township Administrator Paul Shives said an appraisal set its value much higher.

As for Camp Albocondo, which was once targeted by former schools superintendent Michael J. Ritacco for purchase so a kindergarten could be built there, the fate of the township's purchase now rests with the county freeholders. The area is currently owned by the Trust for Public Lands, which purchased it in February 2013 for $4.1 million.

Kathy Hake, a representative from the group, was at the meeting and said members of the county's Natural Lands Trust office are scheduled to survey the site as early as Wednesday.

"We purchased it because the land owner was in foreclosure and we didn’t want to see it go into private hands where it could possibly be developed," Hake said.

Some members of the public applauded the purchases.

"This is a critical piece of land for a continuing clean water source into Barnegat Bay," said Britta Wenzel of Save Barnegat Bay.

Another resident, Ed Allitt, agreed.

"I think the county and the town are taking a long view of the environmental concerns of protecting this area," he said. "I think if you don’t act now, this opportunity will be lost, and it is a fine opportunity to do some preservation work."