Cheshire Acquires 58-Acre Parcel Of Open Space

CHESHIRE, CT — The town has purchased a 58-acre parcel of undeveloped property at 257 Fenn Rd., officials announced Friday. The property will be used for passive recreation, officials said.

“This parcel is a valuable addition to the town’s open space,” officials wrote in a news release. “It abuts 185 beautiful acres of open space that includes the Mill River Watershed which was purchased by the Town and the Regional Water Authority in 2003.”

The acreage was acquired in partnership with the Regional Water Authority and the Cheshire Land Trust. The purchase was initiated by the Cheshire Land Trust when the previous owner contacted them regarding preservation of the property, according to officials.

The Regional Water Authority contributed a third of the purchase cost, and worked closely with the Town and the Land Trust to develop the conservation easement that will preserve this property, according to the news release.

“Preserving open space properties safeguards the health of our communities and our waterways,” said Ted Norris, vice president of asset management for the Regional Water Authority. “The RWA owns and protects over 27,000 acres of undeveloped land. We were happy to have this opportunity to work with our partners in the Town of Cheshire and Cheshire Land Trust to help them secure this Mill River watershed property for conservation.”

The Cheshire Land Trust secured a grant to assist with the purchase of the property.

“Land trusts exist to protect open space,” said David Schrumm, treasurer of the trust. “The Cheshire Land Trust is pleased that we were able to obtain funding that, combined with dollars and cooperation from the RWA and the town, made the purchase possible. It has ended well.”