As you know, the Board of Selectmen has held five Executive Sessions with the Piper Lane Comprehensive Permit applicant to "consider the purchase, exchange, lease or real property located at 90 School Street, 4 Piper Lane, 4 Piper Lane Rear, and 6 Piper Lane Acton, MA (Map H3-A parcels 3, 3-1, 3-2, and 17)." These meetings are not open to the public, but we do know that an appraisal on the rear parcels (not including 90 School Street) has been completed and is higher than hoped or expected. Another Executive Session is scheduled for this Friday, June 19th at 8:00 AM, and we hope an agreement will be reached.
BEFORE THEN, please send an email to the Board of Selectmen ([email protected]) and the Open Space Committee ([email protected]) communicating your support of a purchase of this land. Community Preservation Act funds can be used to purchase Open Space, and there is money in the Open Space set-aside fund currently. There are other high value parcels, however, which the Open Space Committee is interested in purchasing should they become available, and we do NOT want to deplete the Open Space set-aside fund nor jeopardize future purchases. Land can also be purchased through bonding, and interest rates are extremely low right now. Another strategy used in the past is supplementation of a purchase using private donations from residents, and in the case of this property, non-residents as Great Hill is visited by many folks from other communities. Yet another option for funding a land purchase is the use of Free Cash. Consider the significant future cost savings to the town should this 40B project be stopped. The cost of overseeing the Soil Management Plan for the project would be significant due to the high levels of lead and arsenic present. Property values in the area would likely be negatively impacted by allowing the South Acton Historic District AND the Great Hill Conservation Area, a town gem, to be severely degraded. Municipal services (school, fire, police, water, roads, etc.) would have to be provided to future residents in the 28 units, the costs of which would exceed the revenue generated. The natural resources services provided by the 5+ acres of forest and wetlands are also tremendous - forests clean the air by removing pollutants providing health benefits ($550 million in healthcare savings are provided by New England's forests, MA Audubon "The Value of Nature - Forests" Fact Sheet), the trees and wetlands soils sequester carbon and protect the quality of water which eventually flows to the South Acton well, providing residents with drinking water (every $1 spent on source water protection translates into $27 in water treatment savings, MA Audubon "The Value of Nature - Wetlands and Waterways" Fact Sheet), the trees and wetlands prevent erosion and help control flooding, allowing for groundwater recharge (over 1 million gallons of water can be stored in 1 acre of wetland, the amount on this property, MA Audubon "The Value of Nature - Wetlands and Waterways" Fact Sheet). The Trust for Public Land estimates that for every $1 invested in land conservation, $4 is saved. The purchase of this property and its incorporation into the Great Hill Conservation Area is a very sound investment for the town. Thank you for your continued support of our efforts to stop this ill-conceived development.
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South Acton NeighborhoodAssociationAdvocating for a balance of citizen needs, retention of Acton's historic and small town character, and thoughtful development. Archives
August 2020
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