Discussions on the Van Dyke Farm surrounded by the “Cone of Silence”.

I have been the historian for the Eastern Village Association since October 2005. Many hours have been spent researching the Van Dyke family history and the history of the slaves they once owned. South Brunswick New Jersey has also been my home for almost 25 years. Although I am proud to be a member of this citizen’s group I have tried to keep my public conversations strictly on the subject of the family and the slaves. Many members can speak about the subject of this farm with more knowledge than I have. Since I became a part of this group the discussion of saving the Van Dyke farm has moved through many channels. The Township Council has faced some difficult decisions concerning the farm. The State of New Jersey is facing tough decisions about the farm. The developer and the property owners are facing issues I am sure they never anticipated. This farm property issue has been bounced to and fro the entire time I have been involved with the E.V.A. As of April of 2007 there have been discussions going on which have brought the interested parties to the table. All of this has been done in quiet for almost four months. We do not know if they sat and spoke for one day and walked away. We do not know of they have been holding a dialogue the entire time. We do not know if anything is really happening. The point I am making is that for four months we have had no updates, conversations, hints or allegations of any kind. For all that we know it all fell through and something completely different may happen. As a concerned citizen I feel outrage at this process, a process that seems to have a “Cone of Silence” around it. Either the sides have come to common ground or they have walked away either way I believe we deserve to have some kind of update to the situation. We are all adults in this situation and I know we can handle whatever the outcome is at this point but the silence on the subject is deafening. No one knows, or wants to discuss it no matter who is asked we receive the standard response, be patient something is happening. My patience has run out, I know this farmhouse was built in the late 1700’s, I know the family burial plot exists, I know slaves were owned by this family and I know it was custom to bury them 800 to 1000 yards away from the homestead. There is history all over the Van Dyke farm and it is attached to Pigeon Swamp State Park which makes it ideal to include the farm right into the park. All we need to know is what is happening with these talks, is this question too hard or scary for anyone to answer?