Hamilton resident Haig Kasabach has sat on the township’s environmental commission since the 1970s. (Photo by Suzette J. Lucas.)

In 1976, Hamilton — a sparsely developed town in southern Mercer County — became among the first municipalities in New Jersey to take stock of its environmental resources and composition by compiling a document called an environmental resources inventory.

In 2010, officials in Hamilton — now the state’s eighth largest municipality — will look to fully update the original plan for the first time.

Mayors and entire councils have come and gone in the time between updates. Housing developments sprouted up. A middle school building — formerly the home of Steinert High School — became Nottingham High School, the township’s third secondary education facility. Commercial development followed on major roads like Route 33 and, later on, U.S. 130. Interstates 195 and 295 had yet to be fully completed.

The very face of Hamilton has changed in the 34 years since the leadership of a quiet township decided to take stock of what the land they lived on had to offer. But through the years, one Hamilton resident has remained a constant. He’s kept watch on the township’s environmental resources from the same seat for 39 years, and can’t imagine moving on.
Not while he still thinks he has something to offer, at least.

Haig Kasabach remembers it all.

The state passed a statute in 1968 authorizing municipal governments to form conservation commissions, citing the need for protecting natural resources and open space. The Hamilton township committee took advantage of this legislation in 1971, forming the Hamilton Conservation Committee.

Kasabach, who worked for the state as director of water resources and director of geological survey during his career, sat on the inaugural committee that year. The committee had a purpose but little power. A few years later, the state rewrote the legislation that authorized conservation commissions.

Environmental commissions were introduced, and Hamilton established the Hamilton Environmental Advisory Commission to replace the conservation commission. The new board consisted of members of both political parties and was deemed nonpartisan. Kasabach stayed onboard.

“We didn’t have our sights set on partisan, ‘How would you like this to go?’ reps, but rather looked for an individual who appreciated the seriousness of the appointment and the responsibility it demanded,” said Jack Rafferty, who served on township committee before being elected as Hamilton’s first full-time mayor in 1975. “Haig never disappointed us. He expressed himself accordingly, with no restraints regarding any political affiliation.”

In 1976, everything changed.

There was a new, stronger form of government in place. But the environmental commission saw its influence grow, too. It all started with the environmental resources inventory, an innocent-looking document that actually gave the environmental commission great power.

The township hired a professor at what was then Rider College to compile the ERI. He finished it in six months.

It became part of the foundation of the township’s master plan. The ERI would be a guide for the planning and zoning boards, and the environmental commission would be provided with a copy of every application for development submitted to them. This change shifted the environmental commission’s focus. It now spends much of its time reviewing these applications.

With each application, the township changed. The ERI became more and more outdated. The environmental commission attempted to patch up the document to suit the changing township. It received periodic updates — for the past 34 years — in the form of addenda.

“We’ve been doing addendums for as long as I remember,” Kasabach said. “It’s getting unwieldy.”

An unwieldy ERI shouldn’t be an issue much longer.

The township council took the first step toward a new, fully updated ERI last month by unanimously approving an application for a $11,250 grant from the Association of New Jersey Environmental Commissions and providing $8,250 in township funds for the project. The Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission will compile the new document on behalf of the township.

The process should take less time than the six months it took for the original to come together. Besides all the information existing digitally, DVRPC benefits from merely having to compile existing information. This was not entirely the case in 1976.

The new ERI comes in anticipation of a renewed township master plan. Among the issues township officials hope to address is the unbalanced work load of the planning and zoning boards. The township had been receiving more applications for the zoning board than for the planning board.

The new ERI — like any environmental measure in Hamilton — should have indications of Kasabach’s influence.
He has used contacts he gained working for the state in his role on the environmental commission, but he has noticed those contacts have started to dwindle lately. He retired in 2000. Kasabach hoped that wouldn’t make his job on the environmental commission more difficult.

But it wouldn’t be wise to doubt Kasabach. He’s proven his lasting power.

And anyone that’s been in Hamilton has witnessed his legacy, even if it was unknowingly.

“The test of one’s contribution during their lifetime is longevity, to do a job that is demanding and calls for the continual addressing of sensitive issues is a stressful situation.” Rafferty said. “Haig passed the test with flying colors continuing his involvement through years of Republican and Democrat control.

“After a 30-year-plus commitment, Haig Kasabach deserves a heartfelt expression of a job well done, and may I add, the Hamiltonians he represented those many years are better off because of his involvement.”