Dec 30, 2021 3 min read

Greene County commissioners recently agreed to enter a 79.18-acre parcel located in Morgan Township into the county’s Farmland Preservation Program during their public meeting.

Commission Chairman Mike Belding said the agriculture conservation easement is being purchased by the county from owners Dominick J. and Kimberly S. Barbetta at a cost of $3,000 per acre, which is expected to be paid in five installments over five years.

Belding said the county is agreeing to commit $50,000 of Farmland Preservation funding toward the purchase, pending solicitor approval. The remainder of the purchase price is satisfied by state funding.

“The Farmland Preservation Program guarantees a future food supply and contributes to a healthier economy. It also assures a way of life Pennsylvanian’s cherish will continue for generations to come,” Belding said. “The program is a partnership between all levels of government and nonprofit organizations – with a common goal of saving prime farmland. The program enables state, county and local governments to purchase conservation easements from owners of quality farmland.”

Belding said 58 participating county programs receive state funds for the purchase of agricultural conservation easements. A state board is responsible for distribution of state funds, approval and monitoring of county programs and specific easement purchases.

“Nothing changes with the property, to include physical occupation, other than there is a requirement that the property forever remain in farmland, thus the preservation part,” he said. “The county’s Farmland Preservation Program is dedicated to protecting valuable farm acreage from development.”

According to Belding, the minimum requirements for property to be accepted into the program are:

n Landowners must be enrolled in an approved agricultural security area (ASA) consisting of at least 500 acres;

n Have at least 50 contiguous acres;

n Have at least 50% of the soils on the property in soil capability classes I-IV (as defined by the Web Soil Survey) and be available for agricultural production;

n Contain the greater of 50% or 10 acres of harvested cropland, pasture or grazing land;

n The landowner must own their surface mineral rights.

Also during their Dec. 16 meeting, commissioners said the county is receiving $200,000 in state funding for an ongoing improvement project in Waynesburg Borough.

Commissioner Mike Belding said the grant funding through the state’s Department of Community and Economic Development will be used for various improvement initiatives in Waynesburg Commons parks area located near Waynesburg University.

The county, borough and university partnered to apply for funding to improve sidewalks, lighting and walking paths around the park areas between the university and East Wayne Street in Waynesburg, he said.

In another matter, commissioners agreed to advertise the sale and removal of the Green Race Horse Barn located at the fairgrounds.

“This is the old horse barn that is in poor condition and no longer used at the fairgrounds,” Belding said. “We had an engineer look at the feasibility of repurposing the building, and the opinion was that it would be too costly.”

He said the intent is to sell the building for salvage value and repurpose the space once the building is removed.