COUNTY OF LEHIGH

Office of Public Information

Government Center

17 South Seventh Street

Allentown, Pennsylvania 18101-2401

Phone: 610-782-3001

Fax: 610-820-3615

 

Donald T. Cunningham, Jr., County Executive

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:                                                       CONTACT:

March 13, 2006                                                                                 Jeff Zehr

                                                                                                            (610) 391-9583 ext.15

 

Lehigh County Receives Record Commonwealth Funding for Farmland Preservation

Over $8 Million to be used to Preserve County Farmland

 

Allentown -- The Lehigh County Agricultural Land Preservation Board will receive a record $6,294,647 in state funding in 2006 for the preservation of Lehigh County farmland.   The State Agricultural Land Preservation Board recently released 2006 farmland preservation funding figures to Pennsylvania’s county farmland preservation programs.

            Lehigh County has also pledged its own record $2,083,758 in farmland preservation matching funding for 2006.   Combined with Commonwealth funding, the Lehigh County Agricultural Land Preservation Board will have a total of $8,378,405 to use for the protection of Lehigh County farmland with agricultural conservation easements in 2006. 

“Smart growth and development are essential to maintaining a stable tax rate for Lehigh County’s taxpayers over the next four years,” said Lehigh County Executive Don Cunningham.  “One key component of smart growth is maintaining a clear focus on preserving farmland for agriculture use.  Smart growth is just as much about not developing where we shouldn’t as it is about developing where we should.”

 

 

 

The farmland preservation program compensates farmland owners for giving up the development rights to develop their farms.  In return for receiving a payment, landowners sign an agricultural conservation easement document which legally preserves their land for future agricultural use.  Preserved farm properties remain in private ownership subject to development restrictions.   To date, the Lehigh County Farmland Preservation Program has preserved 186 farms in Lehigh County covering a total of 15,773 acres of farmland with perpetual agricultural conservation easements.

            New applications for the program are now being accepted from qualified farmland owners until  March 31, 2005.   To obtain an application or to find out more information about the Lehigh County Farmland Preservation Program, call Jeff Zehr, Farmland Preservation Specialist, at (610) 391-9583 ext.15.

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