The Grover house, part of which dates from well before the Civil War, is up for a crucial vote at the council meeting on Monday, June 10. In the interest of saving it, here is a capsule history and a request.
The Grover family bought the 88-acre farm in 1912, and the family and its descendants lived in the house for nearly a century. Thomas R. Grover, a highly decorated Vietnam War hero who was killed in action, grew up there.
In 1995 the township bought the property for $3.26 million, financed by West Windsor’s first open space tax. This kept the land out of the hands of developers, minimizing pressure on schools and municipal services.
The Grovers retained a life estate after the sale. Mr. Grover died in December, 2008, and Mrs. Grover moved out in early February, 2009. The house and outbuildings had been kept up and were all in good condition at the time.
At the February 17, 2009, council meeting, discussion ensued about leasing the house, with a draft agreement already in hand. Land Use Manager Sam Surtees advised that a decision should be made quickly, as leaving it vacant would invite deterioration and vandalism. But the transit village had taken center stage, two new council members were seated within six months, and the house was forgotten.
No public mention of the house was made for the remainder of 2009. The administration, which was responsible for maintaining and protecting it as well as keeping council informed of its status, failed to do so.
The administration toured the house in the early autumn of 2009 and unilaterally decided that it should be demolished. No notice of this was provided to council or the public. Permission was given to the police department to conduct training in the house with a police dog, again with no notice.
The administration requested $60,000 in the 2010 capital budget to demolish the house and several outbuildings. This was briefly discussed during the budget session of Saturday, April 30, apparently unattended by the public. In September, 2010, council passed a bond ordinance that included $85,785 for “general improvements to the Municipal Administration Building, and/or demolition of structures on township property,” without specifically mentioning the Grover house. It had slipped under the radar once again.
Apart from leasing the farmland until the end of 2016, no further action was taken until the administration solicited demolition bids in March, 2012. Meanwhile, the house had continued to suffer extensive damage, vandalism, and theft. Council and the public were taken completely by surprise when Resolution 2012-R135 was put on the May 14 agenda, asking that a $60,000 bid for the demolition work (no surprise there) be accepted.
A sense of disbelief and even outrage followed. Council canceled the bid in subsequent meetings and encouraged the formation of a citizen’s committee to recommend what to do with the house. The larger barn collapsed during a late July windstorm due to the removal of many exterior boards by unknown parties.
The committee met often during the remainder of 2012, and there was a police investigation of the damage and removal of township property from the house. Four members of the committee issued a documented report on March 14, including details of a professional house inspection and an edited version of the police report released at the end of January. The committee’s officers followed with a shorter report in early April that was presented to council and is on the town’s website.
Both reports recommended reallocating much of the unspent $60,000 for replacing the missing windows and doors and minor roof repairs. This would preserve the house and allow time for a thorough estimate of the total repair costs as well as evaluating various means for financing and carrying out the work. Volunteer labor was proposed in the April report, both to hold down costs and to give residents a sense of participation. Commitments were announced from local contractors for donations of skilled labor where needed, a further cost-saving approach.
One of several possible good uses for the repaired house would be to lease it to a caretaker/tenant, which is specifically permitted by Green Acres regulations and confirmed by discussions and correspondence with their staff. Income from such a rental is projected to pay back all repair costs and still return significant funds to the township.
Being a landlord is nothing new for West Windsor. Resolution 2011-R098 was passed on May 9, 2011, for leasing 24 parcels of township-owned farmland to several different farmers, and another house is leased to a township employee.
Surely there is room in our town for more than one preserved farmhouse to remind us of our long and honored agricultural history. Besides being revenue-positive, repairing the Grover house would allow us to keep a treasured icon for future generations to admire and appreciate. Let’s move forward and turn this neglected pumpkin back into a beautiful princess. She deserves no less.
John A. Church
West Windsor
