QUICK TED start telling us how evil the people on the north end of town are! How DARE we be happy that we have retained open spaces and INSURED the master plan of RT will be held in tact! Oh and enjoy Lous quote.
Morris pays $4.7M to buy Craigmeur
By Michael Daigle, Daily Record
ROCKAWAY TWP. -- The Morris County Park Commission will take over operations of Craigmeur, a privately owned, 67-acre picnic and recreation area, in October, Executive Director David Helmer said Tuesday.
The $4.7 million transaction not only provides the county park system with a large area for family recreation and large organizational and corporate picnics -- and preserves another piece of the hilly open space of Morris County -- but also gives the owners, the Murray family, a chance to preserve their family's legacy.
At Tuesday's announcement of the purchase, family members and officials tied the event to their memories of the sprawling recreational complex.
The Murray family owned the facility -- which opened in 1937 as New Jersey's first ski area -- since 1965. While the ski area was closed in 1998, the site is a center for corporate outings and picnics, business meetings, church socials, family reunions and recreation.
"Today is a bittersweet day," said Dorothy Murray, the family matriarch. "I raised my children here and treasure the memories." Murray said she was pleased that the county plans to operate the center in much the same way her family did for 40 years.
Amy Weiss, one of Murray's seven children, all of whom were on hand Tuesday, said growing up at Craigmeur was more than a chance to have a terrific playground as their backyard. It also was the place where the Murray children grew up in the business, and where all remain involved today.
Weiss said her children also will get the experience she had: Their house is next door to the Green Pond Road facility. She is excited the family was able to ensure both that the facility will be operated as a family venue, and that the stunning landscape will be preserved as open space. Craigmeur overlooks a section of steep hills that rise above misty valleys.
Rockaway Township mayor Louis Sceusi said both his wife and son learned to ski at Craigmeur and thanked the Murray family for the way they operated the park.
"I must tell you how grateful so many of our seniors are that they can attend our picnic here yearly," Sceusi said. "You reflect so much of the character we know as Rockaway Township."
The sale of Craigmeur to the county park commission preserves another piece of the "beautiful, beautiful open space" in the northern part of the township, Sceusi said.
Morris County Freeholders Jack Schrier and Frank Druetzler also praised the family and the purchase, which, Druetzler said, will ensure that future generations of Morris County residents can enjoy the same facility enjoyed in the paste.
"We couldn't build this," Schrier said.
Craigmeur boasts playgrounds, courts for basketball, tennis, shuffleboard and volleyball, ping pong areas, swimming pools, pony rides, bumper boats, a water slide, soccer and baseball fields, a bocce court, miniature golf, nature trails and extensive picnic areas.
Helmer said the addition of Craigmeur will help the park commission meet one of the top needs identified by the public in a recent survey. That survey showed that residents wanted more recreational facilities like ball fields, and more places for family picnics. Craigmeur has both, Helmer said.
It also has pavilions, kitchen facilities and variety of venues lacking in other county parks and suitable for large gatherings, he said.
The deal allows Morris County to offer Craigmeur's current customers use of the facility, but also allow the county to shift large family gatherings from parks with less-suitable facilities to Craigmuer.
The county will take over operation of the site in October, after the current summer season. Craigmeur employees -- seven full-time and many part-timers -- will be offered jobs with the park commission, he said.
Craigmeur also is situated near properties either owned by the county or soon to be purchased, Helmer said, which will enable the county to further develop the West Morris Greenway, a long trail across the tree-covered ridges of the county that is part of the planned Highlands Trail. In addition, Craigmeur is close enough to other county facilities, like the Berkshire Valley Golf Course or Mahlon Dickerson Reservation, both in Jefferson, that groups could manage to use more than one facility during an outing, he said. Scouting troops, for example, could camp at the Dickerson reservation and use Craigmeur for daily activities, he said.
Park commission staff will use the winter to discuss any facility changes at Craigmuer and how to incorporate the venue into the park system, Helmer said.
