By Marianne Sullivan, Courier Senior Staff
Writer:
CHESTER:
Town boards and the
Trust for Public Land (TPL), a private, non-profit land conservation
organization, are working together in an effort to preserve as open space 4.6
acres on Parkers Point Road
with access to the Connecticut River.
First Selectman
Thomas Marsh told the Board of Finance last week that his office had been
approached several months ago about the possibility of purchasing the Otfinoski
property, which has been on the market for $1.1 million. Through discussions
with commissioners on the Conservation Commission and Planning and Zoning,
Marsh was put in touch with TPL. It is TPL that has been acting as a
third-party negotiator in this process.
Amy Blaymore
Paterson, TPL project manager, told the finance board her organization had been
involved in the negotiations since early spring.
“Opportunities to
protect land along the Connecticut River do
not come about very often and the town should be commended for taking advantage
of this rare chance to enhance its open space and park system,” she said.
After having two
federally required appraisals done on the property, TPL has an agreement with
the landowners to purchase the property for $998,000, the lower of the two
appraisals. The agreement, Paterson
said, will hold “for a certain amount of time.”
TPL’s work, the
appraisals, and the environmental review have all been undertaken without any
cost to the town, Paterson
explained.
The organization has
applied for various grants to help the town fund the eventual purchase, should
it be approved by a town meeting. The largest of the grants being sought is
from the Department of Environmental Protection’s Open Space and Land
Acquisition Program. TPL has requested $648,700 but anticipates approximately
$450,000.
It is also seeking
$75,000 from the Gateway Commission but anticipates approximately $50,000.
Chester Land Trust has said it will initiate a capital campaign, should the
town approve the purchase, to raise $50,000 toward the final purchase price.
The grants are not guaranteed, Paterson
cautioned.
Marsh said the town
and TPL hoped to have an indication by the end of this month of which grants
had been secured. Then, he said, the public discussions could begin on the
eventual purchase.
“There will be
public meetings, informational meetings, discussions with the Conservation
Commission, Park and Recreation, the selectmen, and this board again,” Marsh
told the finance board members.
If the town’s
eventual cost totals around $500,000, he said, “We may chose not to bond it,
but instead take the money from our fund balance. We have a healthy fund
balance that is now about $1.6 million.”
Paterson said the property would best be used for
passive recreation.
“There is a natural
picnic area and it provides public access to the river,” she said, noting that
it would be a site for kayaking, walking, and fishing. “This is a unique
opportunity to provide the public with direct access to the Connecticut
River while also serving to protect ecologically valuable riparian
land in an area that is highly developed.”