Groton Open Space Association

GOSA Urges RTM: Approve Open Space Budget.WITH UPDATE

GROTON–The Groton Representative Town Meeting (RTM) has approved a $25,000 line item in the Town of Groton budget for acquiring open space.

The RTM voted 25-3 on May 13, 2004, in favor of the allocation. The move placed $25,000 in the capital improvement fund for use on open space within the next three years. Additional action will be necessary to extend the allocation beyond that period.

The vote favoring the measure, which had been rejected in previous years, came after a powerful appeal for it by RTM member Genevieve Cerf, also a GOSA director.

Sidney F. Van Zandt, a GOSA director, told an RTM budget meeting May 3, 2004, that by starting a fund now the town could save itself money. She said that “preserving land, particularly sensitive land, is cheaper than [building] housing developments,” which in general act exert a negative net effect on town finances, as the cost of additional services exceeds added tax revenues.

She added that Groton Public Utilities considers current plans to build a subdivision in the Great Brook watershed to be a potential threat to quality of water in the Groton Reservoir. She said that open space funds could allow the town to buy land or development rights in areas, such as the Great Brook watershed, that ultimately drain into the reservoir.

GOSA President Priscilla Pratt pointed out that statewide studies have shown residential development to be a net drag on municipal finances. She noted that Groton in the past has been eligible for 65% state matching grants for open space acquisition, and that Groton’s Plan of Conservation and Development calls for additions to the town’s current open space.