Sudbury Voters Narrowly Approve $11M Camp Sewataro Purchase

SUDBURY, MA — After weeks of spirited debate, Sudbury voters on Tuesday narrowly approved purchasing the Sewataro camp land. The unofficial vote tally during a special election was 2,561 in favor and 2,195 opposed.

The 4,756 votes cast represented 39 percent of the town's 12,352 registered voters.

Board of Selectmen Chairman Daniel Carty said the next step for the town is to find a camp operator.

"Anyone paying attention knows this has been emotional on both sides of the issue," Carty said, "I just hope we can move forward as one town."

Said Sudbury Town Manager Melissa Rodrigues, "I was proud to see Sudbury residents turn out in droves today to be such an important part of our legislative process. This is democracy at its finest, igniting healthy debate and resident engagement. I was happy to meet so many residents and hear so many different perspectives over the past months."

Sudbury's Town Meeting voted earlier this month to buy the 44-acre property for $11 million. To pay for the land, the town planned debt payments for 20 years beginning at $1 million and decreasing through the years with the final payment being $586,000.

The average single-family home valued just over $745,000 would pay approximately $2,000 over the life of the bond. The annual tax payments would start at close to $170 and decrease yearly with a final payment of approximately $90, assuming that values held steady.

Said Sudbury Selectman Jennifer Roberts, "This has been a spirited topic for our community and has generated a lot of discussion by both those that oppose and support the purchase. As a BOS member, I respect the vote of the town and am committed to finding the best solution for use of the property with considerable town input. I believe it will be important to continue to progress other long-standing town priorities as well, such as the Fairbank Community Center."

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