Sparta to buy Holland Circle plot for emergency access to the Glen
Sparta. The township council agreed to pay $95,000 for the property, which will give first responders a second access point further up the mountain.
Sparta /
| 26 Oct 2021 | 03:59
Orange arrow points to the 1.59-acre parcel at 33 Holland Circle (realtor.com)
The Sparta Township Council on Oct. 12 unanimously adopted an ordinance to purchase a plot of land on Holland Circle that will allow emergency access to The Sparta Glen.
The measure passed, 4-0. Councilperson Molly Whilesmith was absent.
The council will purchase 33 Holland Circle for $95,000, which will be taken from the township’s General Capital improvement Fund.
Mayor Christine Quinn said the property is valuable to the township because it gives them a second access point for Emergency Medical Services. This access would also be higher up on the mountain. Currently, the only emergency access to the Glen is at the bottom.
But the purchase comes with a caveat.
“There was an understanding that we wouldn’t open this for public use until a committee from the neighborhood weighed in on it,” Councilperson Joshua Hertzberg said. “It would be for Sparta Township use only, and if that were to change, we would include the neighborhood in that discussion.”
Jen Hamilton, who lives next to the property, said she was concerned about something she read about there being a parking lot or a pavilion on the property and she was nervous that something could be done there without the neighbors being notified.
She asked if the ordinance could be amended to stipulate that the township would have to consult the neighbors before adding to the property.
Township Counsel Thomas Ryan didn’t’ recommend putting stipulation in the ordinance because then it would have to be tabled and then the process starting over after it was amended. He said the township could put a notice on the deed at closing.
The council agreed that putting a note on the ordinance that no capital improvements could be made outside of facilitating access without consulting a subcommittee that included neighbors of the property.
Sparta Glen is a 120-acre park owned by the township that offers hikers an unobstructed view of Lake Mohawk.
The park offers several picnic benches and trails with an 350-foot elevation gain to reach the summit viewpoint.
“There was an understanding that we wouldn’t open this for public use until a committee from the neighborhood weighed in on it. It would be for Sparta Township use only, and if that were to change, we would include the neighborhood in that discussion.” ,” Councilperson Joshua Hertzberg