My name is Jacob Samardin and I am 16 years old and just started my junior year at Holmdel High School. I would have been playing football this season but sitting out with a knee injury. (GO HORNETS!)
My dream is to go to Law School and become a Public Interest Lawyer.
I care deeply about the environment and the welfare of the animals on Potter's Farm.
I have been raised to believe that it is every person's duty to take action and stand up for the issues they believe in – and that's what I'm doing. I hope this website raises awareness to the issue surrounding historic Potter's Farm.
My goal is to preserve Potter's Farm as a working farm or to have it preserved as a park or sanctuary for the animals and birds or as Open Space.
Also, did you know that there's a certain number of trees and bushes required for the Potter’s Farm property? 591 trees are required and the private real estate developers coming in want permission to have only 229 trees. I worry that less trees means less birds and less clean air.
I am a lifelong resident of New Jersey and care about preserving the Garden State and keeping it green. I think that the Garden State should be maintained and that we should all be concerned about keeping New Jersey clean and green.
There were many lessons to learn from the global health crisis, spurred by Covid-19.
One of the most important lessons we learned from Covid was the importance of parks and Open Space for people to be able to spread out and enjoy nature as a therapeutic outlet.
It is my hope to inspire others to take action to preserve Potter's Farm before it's too late!
Please sign my petition and encourage your friends and family to sign as well.
Think globally, act locally.
The William Potter Homestead. The old house was taken apart and the strong wooden frame was moved to Pennsylvania.
The barns in the background of this aerial view of Potter & Sons Garden Equipment and Lawn Supplies have been replaced with a large modern building. The top of the old homestead can be seen through the canopy of trees.
Photos and captions taken from Ceres, Gerald V. (1996). Images of America: Holmdel and Pleasant Valley. Arcadia Publishing
History of Potter's Farm
Potter’s Farm sits like a crown jewel on the head of Holmdel Township and is the gateway to Holmdel for those entering from the Garden State Parkway.
Although Potter’s Farm remains zoned for single-family use (allowable density of one-single family home per one acre of land), Potter’s Farm has been operating as a working farm since well before 1841! This land and its modern day use as a working farm gives character to Holmdel and helps make/keep Holmdel a historic and agriculturally based community that is unique and special.
In fact, according to the Holmdel Historic Society, the William Potter Homestead was built by Mathias Conover in 1841 and William Potter acquired the land in 1920 and 1925! Potter’s Farm predates Holmdel itself because it was not until 1857 that Holmdel officially began as a separate township.
Final Thoughts
Special thanks to Jessica from Card My Yard Middletown.
With all of this said, my goal isn't to challenge the need for the proposed $27 million dollar facility for dementia/memory-care. I just strongly believe a different location would be better and more appropriate.
The entity that currently owns Potter's Farm is Enclave at Holmdel Inc. UMC Enclave is a Not-for -profit corporation and therefore is tax exempt. I worry that people do not know this and will mistakenly believe that this dementia facility will generate tax revenue for Holmdel. This is simply not true and people need to be aware of this fact.
There are already several dementia care facilities in or around Holmdel but there is only one Potter's Farm. (Click here to see the list of memory care facilities.)
My goal is simply to raise awareness about the plans that will result in the shut-down of historic Potter’s Farm forever and to preserve the landscape, animals and the unique charm that Potter’s Farm provides to our community.
If you care about this issue, ask your elected officials about why more is not being done to preserve Potter's Farm. Also, ask those seeking your vote in the next Holmdel Township Committee election.
Thank you for visiting my website and don't forget to share this petition with others.
When sharing on social media, please use the following hashtags: #PreservePottersFarm #SavePottersFarm