Gibraltar Rock sells 355 acres to county for preservation
September 7, 2011Gibraltar Rock announced the sale of 355 acres at its Belle Mead (N.J.) quarry to Somerset County. The quarry is located in Montgomery and Hillsborough townships, three miles north of Princeton, N.J. The land will be preserved in New Jersey’s Green Acres Program.
Since 2009, Gibraltar Rock has conveyed 734 acres at its Belle Mead quarry to the land-protection program. This assures Gibraltar Rock’s ecological status in perpetuity within the Sourland Mountain, which is more than half of the 1,440 acres Gibraltar acquired from The 3M Co. in 2009, the company said.
“The sale of this property to Somerset County continues Silvi’s practice of partnering with state and county agencies to preserve land in perpetuity rather than developing it,” said Laurence J. Silvi II, co-owner of the Silvi Group Companies, for which Gibraltar Rock is a member. Silvi previously conveyed 220 acres in West Amwell in 2009, also part of the Sourland Mountains and now part of Washington Crossing State Park, and 224 acres in Monroe Township (southern New Jersey) in 2008.
The Sourland Mountain is an area of intact natural and agricultural land containing more than 20,000 contiguous forested acres, located within three largely developed central New Jersey counties, which support many rare plant and animal species.
“This significant acquisition continues Somerset County’s commitment to the preservation of the unique habitat of the Sourland Mountain region,” said Somerset County Freeholder Director Robert Zaborowski. The most recent 355-acre acquisition from Gibraltar Rock includes the Roaring Rocks area. Roaring Rocks is a distinctive geological formation of large boulders overlaying Roaring Brook that “roars” during heavy rains as the water flows under the boulders.
The Silvi Group, headquartered in Fairless Hills, Pa., was founded in 1946. It employs more than 200 people and consists of companies engaged in the manufacture of ready-mixed concrete, mining, cement and real estate in southeastern Pennsylvania and central and southern New Jersey. Silvi owns four permitted mining sites in New Jersey.
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