GOSHEN – The Orange County Legislature’s Ways and Means Committee has approved adding $4 million to the open space fund, bringing the current total to $7.5 million.

County Planning Commissioner Alan Sorensen told lawmakers Tuesday that the money could be used for a variety of land preservation purposes.

“We can award projects up to 50 percent. This for open space acquisition, conservation easement for development rights, could be lands surrounding public water supply to protect water quality, could be for acquisition of parklands,” he said.

The full county legislature will approve the appropriation at its next monthly meeting in February.