Bernards preservationists receive $550,000 to save farmstead

With $550,000 in state and county grants, a Bernards group is ready to continue preservation of the 18th-century Kennedy Farmstead.

But township officials and the Friends of the Farmstead are still hammering out details of a lease on the King George Road property.

It's a little more complicated" than simply taking $440,000 from the state Historic Trust and $110,400 from Somerset County's cultural and heritage commission, said John Campbell, president of the nonprofit group. "The question is: Will a lease agreement be negotiated that everyone can live with?"

"The pieces are coming together," said Mayor M. Ali Chaudry, who has been skeptical of the Friends' business planning as well as their intentions for the property.

As the two sides exchange the latest draft of the lease this week, Chaudry sees a possibility the township committee will accept the county grant at its Nov. 23 meeting. But no action has been scheduled on the newly announced state grant.

Two issues remain to be settled, the men said.

The township needs "more clarity" from the Friends in financial plans, Chaudry said. "We need to see a realistic fund-raising plan that goes beyond grants," he said.

To complete the preservation work, though, the Friends need at least a 25-year lease, Campbell said. A long-term commitment is essential for fund-raising from any source, he said.

The latest version of the lease would run 25 years, but includes requirements for fund-raising and work that the Friends would have to meet over the first 10 years, Chaudry said.

The six-acre property is home to a complex of buildings dating to the mid-18th and mid-19th centuries. One early occupant was the Rev. Samuel Kennedy, who in 1750 founded the first local school, later known as the Brick Academy.

Another early owner was Revolutionary War Col. Ephraim Martin, who as a state legislator introduced the Bill of Rights.

Citing this history, the township paid $3.5 million in 1999 for 36 acres, setting aside the bulk for playgrounds and properties while protecting the farm complex. But as the farm outbuildings fell into disrepair, someone needed to take the lead to preserve the structures.

Under the direction of architect Michael Calafati of Historic Building Architects in Trenton, much of the frame of the property's large English barn has been repaired and preserved. The new grants would allow completion of that work, as well as stabilization and ongoing maintenance of a wagon house and the manor house.

All figure prominently in the Friends' long-range plans for the site, but some Bernards officials found the concepts too grandiose.

The Friends still envision the property serving cultural and arts functions as well as history, Campbell said. But they agree with Chaudry and other skeptics that the site could not provide a playhouse or large-scale arts center.

"It would be for specialized uses, not every need," Campbell said.

For instance, the wagon house could house sculpture or similar works, while the barn might be suitable as exhibition space for events attracting up to 90 people, he said. The house, whose exterior has been altered over the centuries, has enough space for lectures and studios, Campbell said.

Joe Tyrrell covers Hunterdon and Somerset counties. He can be reached at jtyrrell@starledger.com or (908) 782-8326.