Months of uncertainty regarding the fate of Jackson’s municipal compost site on Jackson Mills Road came to an end during the Jan. 24 Jackson Township Council meeting when officials announced a plan that will keep the facility where it is.

The plan, which was showcased during a scoping hearing at the beginning of the meeting, will divert 2 acres at the Vista Center site to be used for the compost facility. To make up for the loss of open space, 4 acres that were recently acquired by Jackson will be preserved as open space.

“The search for a site has been a long and lingering one,” Jackson Business Administrator Jose Torres told the Tri-Town News. “At the end of the day, I think this is a step in the right direction.” The land at 334 Jackson Mills Road that is being used for the compost facility is designated as part of the state’s Green Acres program.

As such, a diversion was needed to continue operating the compost facility beyond the state Department of Environmental Protection’s (DEP) original agreement to temporarily allow that use for two years.

In November 2011 a six-month extension on the two-year permit was granted by the DEP to Jackson, as efforts to find a new location for a compost facility were taking longer than expected. Officials said four locations were considered as possible locations for a compost facility during their search. “[The township] determined the Vista property was the best location because of the public outcry against the other parcels,” T&M Associates grants program manager Lori Thompson said. “[The other three locations] were in the Pinelands and had some environmental issues associated with them.”

Initial plans in October 2010 to move the compost facility to the Legler section of Jackson were killed by the council due to the proposed location’s proximity to a residential area.

“The main issue was [that we needed to] find an area that had the least negative [effect] on the neighborhood,” Torres said.

To offset the reduction in Green Acres open space in Jackson that keeping the compost facility on Jackson Mills Road will entail, a 4-acre parcel off Park Avenue has been set aside as preserved land, in accordance with DEP regulations.

According to township documents, the 4-acre parcel was acquired from the previous owner, who owed outstanding taxes on the property.

Of the 4 acres being set aside as open space, Thompson said 3 acres are uplands and 1 acre is wetlands. Those areas will offset the 0.7 acres of wetlands and 1.3 acres of uplands being used for the compost facility at Jackson Mills Roads.

Although there were some initial concerns from the parents of a local youth soccer organization due to the Jackson Mills Road facility’s location near some soccer fields, Torres said the township’s use will not interrupt their current field space, citing the size of the site.

Final approval for the entire diversion, following a lengthy application process, could come in June, Thompson said.

Torres said Jackson officials are ready to move forward with the diversion and put the compost facility issue in the past. He thanked DEP staff members for their cooperation with finding an appropriate site.

“Sometimes we look far beyond for what we want and it’s right in front of us,” Torres said.