By Sue Cornell, Source Correspondent:
KILINGWORTH:
The town purchase of
the 305-acre Venuti family property is one step closer to reality.
The Open Space
Committee has investigated and negotiated over the past several months, and
presented its recommendations to the Board of Selectmen (BOS) regarding the
$8.5 million purchase of the land, the number negotiated with family trustee
Michael Venuti. The property in northwest Killingworth is the town’s largest
undeveloped tract of land and considered among its best parcels of open space.
The selectmen have
not formally voted for the acquisition but did agree in a public meeting on
Sept. 22 to endorse the concept of the town purchase.
“We sent it to the
Board of Finance asking them the feasibility of this and, if interested, if
there’s anyone we can partner up with the purchase, and then looking into how
we would pay for it,” First Selectman Richard Cabral said.
The selectmen await
a response from the Board of Finance (BOF), which next meets as a committee on
Oct. 14, as does the BOS. Cabral feels the discussion would happen at that
time, “and then they would kick it back to us.”
“We will look for
input from the town's Board of Finance on how the proposed purchase price
breaks down for the town,” said Open Space Open Space Committee Chairman David
Gumbart. “In the meantime, we are looking into potential funding partners to
see if the bottom line obligation to the town may be lowered.”
After the finance
committee provides feedback, the BOS would then decide whether it would
recommend the purchase. If they do and the BOF agrees to move forward, hearings
will be held.
“Some of those
hearings could happen while all of this is happening–just hearings to hear from
the townspeople as far as purchasing. Eventually, it has to end up at a town
meeting where it would then be sent to referendum,” Cabral explained.
“For me, personally,
this has gone on forever,” said Venuti. “Everyone is analyzing and
overanalyzing. I was told 45 days ago when I made this deal with the town that
this would be coming right to a vote between the Board of Selectmen, the Board
of Finance, and all of you people. I’m a little disappointed that we haven’t
gotten there yet, and I’m not sure we’re going to get there,” he admitted.
According to Venuti,
he has always been willing to talk to the town “and give the town the first
shot.”
There will be uses
for the property, he believes, even 200 to 300 years from now.
“My objective has
always been to at least give the townspeople a shot at voting on the property.
Whether they want it or not it’s up to them,” said the lifelong resident.
As trustee, Venuti
has found himself “in a hard balancing act.” He said, “I can kind of take care
of the Venuti family and also take care of the town.”
In 1997 townspeople
voted to spend $4.4 million for what was thought to be 339 acres owned by the
family. But, because of title problems on a portion of the acreage, the sale
was nixed and the amount of land owned by the family was reduced. Over the
following years there were occasional negotiations. In 2003, selectmen refused
the $8 million asking price.
An appraisal
performed by Chris Buckley of East Lyme and
commissioned by the town set the market value at $8.2 million. An appraisal by
Miner Silverstien of New London and commisioned by the Venutis valued the
property at $9.1 million.
Cabral is certain
the current economic situation will impact the views of the townspeople. While
some will argue against spending the money, others will endorse the purchase of
open space saying that the town “needn’t worry about more homes going up, the
people buying those homes having children, which would increase the educational
budget. You’re going to have both sides. I think it’s a matter of whether they
want to pay for this over a 20-year period,” he said.
Gumbart plans to
talk to agencies regarding partnering with the town purchase. The State of Connecticut and the
water companies have been mentioned in the past as possible partners, according
to Cabral.
What are the chances
the purchase fly this time around?
“You hear from both
sides so where the majority are sitting, I haven’t a feeling for it yet. I
think I would once we have our first hearing. Then we’ll see who turns up and
who doesn’t,” Cabral said.