D&R Greenway Land Trust plans to dedicate the new farm bridge at St. Michaels Farm Preserve in honor of David Knights on May 31, 2015.
D&R Greenway Land Trust invites the public to the dedication of the new Farm Bridge in honor of David Knights at St. Michaels Farm Preserve in Hopewell, on Sunday, May 31, at 2 p.m.
The program will begin at the St. Michaels Barn with light refreshments and presentations by Robert Wolfe, a close friend and colleague of David Knights at Picus Associates; Hopewell Borough Council Member C. Schuyler Morehouse; David Knights’ widow Linda Knights; and D&R Greenway Land Trust President & CEO Linda Mead. This will be followed by a procession to the new Farm Bridge for a ribbon cutting.
The bridge has been named in honor of David Knights’ preservation commitment. Knights worked with D&R Greenway Land Trust, with support from more than 900 Hopewell and Princeton area families, to ensure the preservation of the 400-acre property that is today St. Michaels Farm Preserve.
In his daily walks at St. Michaels Farm Preserve, Knights traversed a rickety old plank bridge that had not been in good shape when D&R Greenway acquired the land. It was further damaged by Hurricane Irene and Superstorm Sandy until it became no longer passable for farm vehicles or walkers. The new bridge, designed by Princeton Hydro with permits secured from the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, connects the north and south ends of the Preserve.
Knights, who died in 2013 at age 60, lived on West Broad Street in Hopewell Borough with his wife, Linda, since 1988. Educated at Brown University and Harvard, where he earned an MBA, Knights oversaw the development of the Hopewell Train Station into a multi-use community center. He was instrumental in the development of Hopewell Park and transforming the 1850s-era Masonic Temple at 88 East Broad Street into a new Borough Hall and Courthouse. He served as president of Preservation New Jersey and Hopewell Borough Council until the time of his death. He was vice president of Picus Associates, a real estate development consulting firm.
Although St. Michaels was not in the borough, Knights knew the development of more than 1,000 houses there would forever change the nature of this small town. Today, St. Michaels Farm Preserve provides farmland, native plant meadows, trails and green space.
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