Open Space One of Many Topics Tonight

Among the numerous topics of discussion at meetings tonight is open space.

A proposal to purchase 35 acres of land on Case Street will be part of a Special Town Meeting at 7 p.m. The meeting was rescheduled from its original date of two weeks ago due to inclement weather.

The proposal is to purchase roughly 35 acres of the “Carpenter” property at 119 Case St.  Half the $97,500 purchase price will be covered by a state Department of Environmental Protection grant, with the town being responsible for the rest. About $57,000 of the town’s share would come from a restricted open space account and the rest from Capital Improvement Project acquisition account.

Charles DeWeese, co president of the Canton Land Conservation Trust and the organization’s representative on the town’s Open Space Commission, said the property fits in well with preserved land in the area and offers good recreational opportunities.

“I certainly am personally very much in favor of the town’s plans for this property and certainly the Land Trust in favor of it,” DeWeese said.

The land trust has 14 acres of abutting property and this purchase would allow a nice right of way and allow the organization to develop trails that would continue to ones the town would likely establish on its property, he said.

The Case Street parcel contains portions of a stream and a pond near the road, DeWeese said.

It’s a nice amenity,” he said. 

The parcel also abuts portions of McLean Game Refuge. That area of the refuge is not open to hikers, however, and is intended for wildlife.

Some in town, such as selectman Marc E. Cerniglia, have spoken out against using CIP funds toward the purchase.

 The other open space discussion of the evening is scheduled during a Board of Selectmen’s meeting after the special town meeting.

That involves discussion of the proposed donation of several acres of land on Robin Drive to the town from the Canton Land Conservation Trust.

The purpose of the proposal is to give the town public access to the 140-acre Cannon Property it purchased in 2008.

That land was purchased for $959,000 and $450,000 was due to come from a state DEP grant. However, the DEP has not been satisfied that passive recreation requirements of the grant can be fulfilled without adequate access and has not reimbursed the town. The town has worked on a few proposals over the years but none have satisfied the state. 

“It’s been painful with the DEP,” First Selectman Richard Barlow said. 

Officials hope the transfer will solve the issue since there is enough land on Robin Drive to provide a public access point.

Also complicating the process were issues about the property lines of both the land trust and town land with a neighboring landowner.

DeWeese and the landowner, Ronald Sekellick, said that issue has been worked out.

Sekellick said he was initially upset about the property issue itself but said he has no problem with the idea of the public accessing the properties.

“I just wanted to make sure the access they claimed they had was in fact valid,” he said. “As t turns out there enough of a buffer up there. I’m glad it all worked out.”

DeWeese said donating the property to the town helped with the dispute as well as with the desire to solve the access issue.  

“It enabled us to solve the boundary dispute without further expense,” DeWeese said.

From a management point of view the land trust is not using the property and is happy to provide it so the town can get its money and eventually provide trail access, he added.  

“It seemed to make a great deal of sense plus we like to support the town in its open space,” DeWeese said.

Chief Administrative Officer Robert Skinner said there is still a slight difference in surveys in a property line between the Sekellick and Cannon properties that needs to be figured out but it does not affect the Robin Drive parcel and should be a minor issue locally, he said.

Skinner said the acceptance of the Robin Drive land would be referred to the Open Space Preservation and Acquisition Commission for a public hearing. The matter would then go back to the Board of Selectmen and, if approved, go to town meeting.

The open space issues are only a small part of tonight’s meetings. At 6 p.m. selectmen will hold a budget workshop. At 7 p.m. the Special Town Meeting will take place, followed by the Board of Selectmen’s meeting.