Narozanick Honored for Support of Farming Community

Freeholder Emeritus Ted Narozanick may be gone from the political scene, but his name is now forever enshrined on the walls of another county building. In honor of his work for providing a one-stop location for agriculture business in the county, a plaque bearing his name was unveiled at the Agriculture Building.

“Had it not been for Ted Narozanick’s commitment to the farming community of Monmouth County the Agriculture Building would never have been built,” said Gary DeFelice, a Middletown farmer who is president of the Monmouth Board of Agriculture, which donated the plaque.

In the mid-1990s Rutgers Cooperative Extension Service was forced to leave the space it rented on Court Street due to an issue over handicap accessibility. With nowhere to go, Narozanick conceived a plan to house all agriculture-related businesses under one roof.

In the planning stages for many years, the Agriculture Building on Kozloski Road opened its doors in 2004. It houses the Farm Service Agency and the Natural Resource and Conservation Service, both divisions of the U.S. Department of Agriculture; the state’s Freehold Soil Conservation District, Rutgers Cooperative Extension and the Monmouth County Board of Agriculture.

“Ted has long been associated with agriculture and it was his vision that led to the creation of this building,” Freeholder Lillian G. Burry said. “Ted is from Englishtown, and I don’t think he ever forgot where his roots were planted, because among his many accomplishments as a freeholder was the Open Space Trust Fund, which passed in 1989. Today, 16,000 acres are preserved as open space.”

Narozanick served on the Englishtown Board of Education, Borough Council and as mayor, and was Monmouth County’s finance director and administrator for 27 years prior to being elected freeholder. Narozanick served on the Monmouth County Board of Chosen Freeholders for 21 years, and was named Freeholder Emeritus upon his retirement.

“Ted was an outstanding freeholder and a friend to every resident or group that came to him, and they knew they could count on him for help,” Freeholder Director Robert D. Clifton said. “Ted is associated with many good things in Monmouth County – the libraries, parks, Brookdale Community College and the Fire Academy. This building adds to the legacy that will always be Ted Narozanick.”