Chester Township officials are expected today to complete a deal to acquire the former Telcordia Technologies parcel, which includes the storied telephone pole farm.

Morris County officials joined their counterparts in Chester Township last night to present them with a $2 million check from the county open space fund to help cover the $6 million price tag of the 113-acre property.

The township will contribute $3 million from its local open space fund, while the remainder will come from state Green Acres money.

"The Telcordia property will connect the Evans (Family Forest) Preserve to our Black River Fields area, has potential to meet future active recreation needs and fits in well with the overall open space plans for the community," said Mayor Ben Spinelli. "It's a very unique property."

The land, a mix of open fields and wooded areas, could be used for hiking, biking and athletic fields, but the telephone pole farm - a former training site for AT&T employees - will be preserved, officials said.

The property includes a large white barn, office space, and the telephone pole site. The 750 poles, roughly 5 to 6 feet in height, occupy slightly less than an acre, according to Krista Wald, director of public relations for Telcordia.

In December 1999, the township purchased the 110-acre, mostly wooded Evans Family Forest Preserve. The Black River Fields are part of the Black River Fish and Wildlife Management Area, a 3,020-acre site located in the northern portion of the township. It is used for recreational activities, including fishing, hunting, canoeing, cross- country skiing and hiking along the abandoned Chester Branch of the DL&W Railroad.

The mayor said officials first made overtures to Telcordia 18 months ago about purchasing the property, which served as a farm in the 1930s.

Spinelli said officials will seek public input before deciding on possible uses for the area. Some possibilities include hiking, bike trails and athletic fields, said Spinelli. He said the panel also must determine what to do with the barn and office space and that construction of any project such as athletic fields probably won't begin for several years.

Township historian Len Taylor, who has lived in Chester Township for the past 42 years, said the landscape wouldn't be the same without the area's beloved telephone pole farm.

"Every single child believed like they did in Santa Claus that that's where they grew telephone poles," said Taylor, although he didn't know the genesis of the tradition. "That has to stay. It's a part of Chester's ambiance."

Frank Pinto, director of the Morris County Preservation Trust, said the land is primarily cleared, relatively flat and is accessible to visitors because of its proximity to Route 513. "It's a landmark and a great location for active recreation," he added.

* * *

Copyright 2004 The Star-Ledger.