While the Grover Homestead Restoration Committee organizes and makes minor initial repairs to the home to prevent further deterioration, possible sources of funds to reinvent the house have yet to be identified. But now the committee faces a new obstacle, as another group of residents have banded together with a petition to stop any amount of taxpayer money from being used in the Grover house’s equation.
Louise Campi Carroll, whose property is adjacent to the Grover farm, came before Council at its Monday, August 20, meeting, for the second time in two weeks to speak about a petition she has helped circulate. The petition opposing redevelopment of the Grover house has over 100 signatures, but its text is only two sentences long.
“I agree that the Town Council should follow its original plan to keep the land as a farm. I don’t want tax dollars used to convert the building for public use of a parking lot,” the petition reads.
During public comments Carroll further explained the two primary goals of the petition: reminding Council and Mayor Hsueh of the original commitment for the property, and to prevent a situation where tax dollars would be spent on restoring the building or on providing property upgrades for the building, which she said may be required by state mandate.
“If the building is changed for public use, state law would mandate that sufficient parking be provided and there would also be Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliance regulations enforced as well. That could include special ramps, bathrooms, and parking. All of this would significantly increase the cost of the restoration,” Carroll said.
She told Council that several residents who signed the petition own homes adjacent to the farm or reside within a mile of the farm, and they would be impacted on a daily basis by the use of the property.
At the Council meeting, Grover committee liaison Kristina Samonte asked her fellow members of Council if the committee could be granted an extension for coming up with possible solutions for the structure. Council President Kamal Khanna confirmed an extension of two weeks, and the committee will now have until Monday, October 15, to prepare its official report for Council.
Apparently Samonte took note of the petition and Carroll’s comments. The next day — Tuesday, August 21 — she called Carroll to assure her that both petitioners and the Grover committee is in agreement; the 88 acres of land will continue to be used as a farm. But Samonte also told Carroll the Grover committee will continue working on what uses they can conceive for the house.
“I told her I was very anxious to find out their plans for the house since whatever will be done would have a visible and esthetic impact on the property, as well as the view from our home,” Carroll said.
Aside from the money needed and the landscape, some say some ideas for the Grover property threaten some of West Windsor’s recreational properties. Paul Eland of 15 Coneflower Lane expressed his disdain for a thought raised by Peter Weale, vice chairman of the Grover Homestead committee, in a recent interview with the WW-P News (August 10) where he mentioned relocating the Community Gardens at the Censoni tract to the Grover farm. Eland, who is a charter member of the Community Gardens, warned Council and the administration of an outrage over any relocation.
“I think that the committee that even put this thought in their head — forget about it. This is not an acceptable solution to have us move to the Grover Farm. We are established, set, and we take care of ourselves, and it’s a safe place because we are right across the street from the police and EMTs should something happen,” Eland said.
However, Council Vice President Linda Geevers later assured Eland that such a scenario would likely never happen.
“I don’t see that as something that is going to happen. If there were to be a community garden there, that could be another or second community garden — not to move the one that is established,” she said.
Carroll says those who signed her petition recognize the Grover family’s relationship and contributions to West Windsor Township. In her 14 years living in West Windsor, Carroll had much interaction with farmer Grover before he died in late 2008. She recalls his cheerful demeanor when pumpkin-picking season arrived each fall. But when asked about LeRoy Grover’s son Ted Grover, who has been involved with the Grover restoration committee, she says she does not know him at all.
“I knew the father because I used to bring my daughter over there. He was a nice man and a typical farmer — a very modest human being, and he loved the farmland,” she said.
Carroll says West Windsor can preserve its farming heritage by keeping the Grover farm as it is and not infusing the house or barns with activity. She also brought up the Schenck farm environmental education center project, which has an approximate total cost of $547,000. Carroll says enough tax dollars had already been spent to upgrade that facility so it can meet the state’s ADA requirements. But unlike the Grover property, the Schenck farmstead was not a purchase; it was donated to West Windsor by its owner, farmer Zaitz.
At the conclusion of the August 20 meeting, Council discussed the potential for the Schenck farm and costs involved in its development. After some debate over the cost of the restroom installation at the Schenck Farm, Councilman Bryan Maher brought up the idea of renting the venue for weddings, birthdays, and other occasions. It was a rare occasion as Maher and Mayor Hsueh agreed on its strong potential for generating revenue for the township.
Carroll, a CPA, earned her MBA from the Wharton School of Business at Penn. Her bachelor’s degree is from Rider University. She manages a small business, Provident Tax Planning and Business Services. Carroll’s husband works for a pharmaceutical company in northern New Jersey, while her father and sister-in-law help with her firm, which she says specializes in tax advising as well as helping start-up businesses with technology and bookkeeping.
Louise Carroll also spent a two-decade corporate career at Merrill Lynch in Plainsboro and New York City, followed by Goldman Sachs and Commodities Corporation in Princeton. A mother of a four-year-old daughter, Carroll grew up in a rural farming community in Burlington County.
“I grew up on seven acres and there was another 42 acres surrounding us so I grew up watching farmers work the land, bail hay, and seeing crops grow. My house here backs up to the farm, and I want it to continue to be an agricultural farm so my daughter can have those benefits,” she said.
Carroll says if the Grover committee is able to raise private funds to restore the building, then it would be fine with her. In her telephone conversation with Samonte on August 22, she heard about the committee’s plans to pursue for non-profit funding.
“I’m not so sure that we’re opponents. My impression is that she is very level-headed and professional,” Carroll said.
But taxpayer money is an absolute no, said Carroll. “In 1994 the Grover farm was purchased (the town’s first open space purchase) for $3.7 million with life rights extended to the Grover family until 2009. There was never any budget for restoring the house, and we already have a historical museum that has an agricultural base,” she said.
“We believe restricting the property to preservation of farmland is the highest honor West Windsor can give Mr. Grover, who loved the land. God bless the farmers; there are so few of them left,” Carroll said.
