Ellisdale is likely site for affordable housing This is a response to John Nanni's opinion titled "Upper Freehold residents urged to protect the Country Code." There is no doubt in my mind that the Upper Freehold Township Committee wants to preserve the Country Code. There is also no doubt in my mind that the Township Committee also wants to address its COAH (Council on Affordable Housing) requirements and legal obligations. Upper Freehold is a leader in the country with land preservation. We now have a mayor that will look at our township from a holistic view and not from a special interests' view. A probable location for COAH is Ellisdale Road. This is fact, not a scare tactic. During 2002 or 2003, an engineering study was performed to identify and rank the properties in the township in proximity to the sewer district. Ellisdale Road was at the top of the list. The law requires that COAH is in a sewer district and has public water. The township's public water line ends at Musket Drive on Ellisdale Road. Mr. Nanni is using contamination of the Ellisdale Road site as a scare tactic. Back in 2007, the DEP (Department of Environmental Protection) approved the soil remediation plan for the site (it has contaminants that exist in most of the land that we live on). The issue was not contamination, but a wastewater amendment. And solutions for this exist, as we are finding out via the middle school project. Mr. Nanni lobbied hard with the former township administration and current school board president to have the location of the middle school (then slated for Ellisdale Road) moved to Upper Freehold's only sewer district and most densely populated area in town - Breza Road. Although Upper Freehold Districts 1, 2 and 3 rejected this idea, the voting block of District 4 passed the resolution. The April 2007 resolution to move the middle school to Breza Road is problematic (but it is what it is) with over $2.5 million more in property costs, environmental issues with two streams, the school property bordering the industrial area of Robbinsville (only 12 acres was preserved in this vicinity by Robbinsville) and overly optimistic expectations for the permitting and opening of the school by the school board president. COAH should not be placed in just one area of town. However, the location should be in close proximity to services such as shopping, church and school. Therefore, Breza Road is a fantastic location. In fact, our COAH obligation can be reduced if we slate Breza Road for Project Freedom units. Remember, the DEP requirements for COAH and a school are the same. Remember, only one such area exists in this town - Breza Road. Mr. Nanni, you had your chance for a school on Ellisdale Road and rejected it. Now, COAH on Ellisdale is a very real probability. Preservation is good, but the land that gets preserved needs much more holistic analysis by our Township Committee to determine that the best interests of the township is front and center to the decision. Ken Caitano Upper Freehold