Groton Open Space Association

Planning Asks Rewrite Of Proposed Letters To State, GOSA

The Planning Commission has considered proposed draft letters to the state Department of Environmental Protection and to GOSA concerning The Merritt Family Forest and has decided that the drafts need revision before being sent.

The commission said at its Nov. 10, 2009, meeting that new drafts would be considered at the next meeting, which is scheduled for Dec. 8, 2009. The existing drafts, written by Planning Manager Matthew Davis with advice from Commissioner Peter Roper, were withheld from GOSA.

It appeared that the new drafts would focus more on the DEP’s process of awarding grants to conservation organizations than on GOSA’s policy of not allowing horses, bike riding and dogs on the 75-acre property.

“The DEP is the biggest problem here because they have the decision-making ability,” Michael J. Murphy, director of the Office of Planning and Development Services, told commissioners.

The OPDS has contended the DEP should have consulted with it in 2003 before awarding a $650,000 grant to GOSA toward the $1 million purchase price of the property. GOSA took possession last year after a five-year legal battle with a developer. It is conducting an environmental resources evaluation of the property and marking footpaths through the forest.

The OPDS has indicated displeasure that a planned 48-house subdivision on the tract was derailed when GOSA contracted to buy the land for conservation.

Michael Kane, an alternate member of the commission, asked, “Where are we going?” with the letters. He said The Merritt Family Forest had come up before the commission originally because GOSA was not allowing dogs on the forest trails, and the commission is “now going in an entirely different direction.” The topic of the Nov. 10, 2009, meeting indeed was listed as “Merritt Family Forest Trails” on the agenda.

GOSA had appeared at the Oct. 27, 2009, Planning Commission meeting to urge the commission to follow the lead of the Town Council in deciding to take no action on The Merritt Family Forest. The acting chairman of that commission meeting, Jeffrey Pritchard, restricted GOSA to commenting in the “Public Communications” segment and summarily cut off GOSA attempts to provide information outside that portion of the meeting. Despite that, Alternate Member Richard Fitzgerald commented Nov. 10, 2009, that he was upset that GOSA had been allowed too much time to speak about the commission’s proposed action involving GOSA’s property.

In other business Nov. 10, 2009, the Planning Commission granted a one-year extension to developer Ron Bonvie to begin construction of his planned senior housing project on the Watrous property. The new deadline is Sept. 28, 2010. Mr. Bonvie, from Southport, MA, appeared at the meeting with his lawyer, Thomas Londregan, but the discussion prior to approval of the extension request was short.