Town Meeting Approves Purchase of 3.2 Acres of Open Space Land

Town Meeting members voted to approve a $195,100 expenditure to purchase 3 parcels, totaling 3.2 acres of land on the north east side of the Sawmill Brook Conservation Area to be used as open space. The total cost to the town may be less, however, if the Conservation Commission is awarded a state grant that would help defray the cost. 

Conservation Commission Chair Larry Cohen explained commission has applied for funds from the LAND Grant Program, administered by the Mass Division of Conservation Services, which works through a reimbursement program after a municipality purchases open space land.

Previously, at a Board of Selectmen meeting, Cohen explained that the reimbursement rate for Burlington under the grant is 56 percent (determined by the Massachusetts Department of Revenue Division of Local Services Municipal Data Bank/Local Aid Section Comparison Criteria Report). What this means is that Burlington will be responsible for paying 44 percent of the total price of the land the commission would like to acquire.

This means the grant is approved, the state will cover a majority of the $195,100 total, leaving the town with a bill of $85,844 for the land. Cohen said at Town Meeting that in order for the town's grant application to be considered, Town Meeting members first had to approve the purchase of the land. Notice of whether or not the grant has been approved will be released in late October. 

At Town Meeting one member asked if this expense was justified in tough economic times, pointing out that the funds would be coming from the stabilization fund, normally set aside for emergencies. 

Cohen said the town had no purchased open space land in roughly a decade and that this offer, even without the grant, was too good to pass over. 

"We are in low-end of amount of passive recreation space compared to area communities," he said. "These three parcels are a great prize in an excellent location and we would appreciate your support."

The conserved land is, and the new property would be, also used for environmental education and water resource protection. Currently Sawmill Brook is one of Burlington's most visited natural spaces and is often used for education by the Burlington Conservation Stewards, the Burlington Science Center and by local Scout troops, Cohen said. It is also used by the Woods Hole Marine Biological Laboratory in conjunction with the University of New Hampshire for water quality research. The land also contains the Sawmill Brook,  a tributary to the Ipswich River, which proved "invaluable riparian habitat" and is a source of drinking water for well in the town of Wilmington.

Town Meeting voted 73-2 to approve the purchase.