Town Council Releases Natural Heritage Grant To Land Trust
At the November 14 Charlestown Town Council meeting, the Town Council voted 4 to 0 to release the $400,000.00 grant that the town had received to purchase the Saw Mill Pond Watershed and to request transfer of the grant to the Charlestown Land Trust, so that it could pursue the additional funding needed to protect the land.
On March 15, 2022 the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management had announced that Charlestown’s Open Space Grant application to protect the 100-acre Saw Mill Pond Watershed had scored very highly and had been selected for funding. The property is identified in the Rhode Island Wildlife Action Plan as a high-priority area for conservation, and its acquisition would protect wildlife, surface and groundwater, and provide public access.
The purchase by the town would have been accomplished using the RI DEM grant plus matching funds from the town’s open space bond fund that was approved by Charlestown voters in 2015.
The purchase had been blocked since May however, when Councilors Carney and Klinger declined to support the expenditure of $4,750 to fund the required real estate appraisal to determine the fair market value of the Saw Mill Pond Watershed. Citing an overworked Conservation Commission, the loss of $2,500 per year in taxes if the land were preserved, and their belief that Charlestown has sufficient open space and that there is no development likely to happen in this area of town, they did not want to move forward with the protection of the property and thus would not approve money for the appraisal.
Knowing that the $400,000.00 RI DEM grant will be lost if the acquisition is not completed in the next year, and also knowing the property’s very high conservation values, the Charlestown Land Trust petitioned the Town Council to allow them to take over the task of finding partners to fund the purchase in order to preserve the land. Both the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Rhode Island Chapter of The Nature Conservancy have offered some support to the Charlestown Land Trust in its effort to acquire the needed funding.
The vote to transfer the grant wasn’t an entirely easy process. After the Land Trust made its presentation, Evelyn Smith, the chair of the town’s Affordable Housing Commission, proposed that the land be acquired by the town for affordable housing. Mrs. Smith, a gravel bank owner and former builder of 600 homes in our area, felt this was a perfect property for an affordable housing development. This idea was in contradiction to Councilor Carney’s earlier assertion that no development was likely to happen in this area, but also developing the land would forfeit the RI DEM grant. In addition, the town does not have sufficient money in the Affordable Housing Bond Fund to acquire the land. Councilor Van Slyke reminded everyone that acquiring this land for affordable housing or any other purpose would require a vote of the people in the absence of the ability to use grant funding and the previously approved bond funds.
The Saw Mill Pond Watershed had both grant funding and previously approved open space bond funds that could have been used to fully fund the land acquisition, but without the support of Councilors Carney and Klinger the purchase would have remained blocked, and within a year the $400,000.00 RI DEM grant would have been lost.
Councilor Carney stipulated that the town would have absolutely no responsibility to maintain the land or trails. The Council then voted to allow the Land Trust to take over the $400,000.00 RI DEM grant.
The Charlestown Land Trust will likely now complete the real estate appraisal to determine the fair market value of the Saw Mill Pond Watershed, negotiate a sales price with the land owner, and undertake the task of raising the funds needed for the purchase. You can learn how to donate to the Land Trust at their website.
Map showing property, wetlands and part of Saw Mill Pond
You can learn more about the author, Ruth Platner, at her profile page.
November 23, 2022 @ 2:58 pm
Thank-you Ruth for your continued clear and accurate explanations.
November 22, 2022 @ 1:19 pm
I would like to thank the Town Council for a unanimous vote to transfer the RIDEM grant award to the Charlestown Land Trust. A healthy environment, especially our watershed, can only benefit us into the future. My philosophy is that “we can’t change the world but we can surely make a positive difference in our little corner of it! ”
Thanks to all who make that difference here in Charlestown. Happy Thanksgiving.
November 22, 2022 @ 11:30 am
Why did this grant need to be “rescued”? The CCA controlled the board they control the spending
Maybe this is why there has been a change in the town government
November 22, 2022 @ 12:39 pm
Councilors Van Slyke and Cooper did not control the vote on the open space purchase. Cody Clarkin’s mother lives in the neighborhood near to this. She is not a direct abuter, but she lives close enough that he felt he should recuse from the vote. That resulted in a 2 to 2 vote for any spending on open space for conservation and hiking, etc. Two to two votes fail, so that is how Councilors Carney and Klinger controlled the vote. Without a third vote to support getting an appraisal, Councilors Carney and Klinger were able to block moving ahead with preservation of the Saw Mill Pond Watershed.
November 19, 2022 @ 10:04 am
Why do Councilors Carney and Clinger claim there is no development likely in this area? I can see at least three new subdivisions going in on Old Mill Road close to this property. Development is happening everywhere in northern Charlestown. We need to protect at least some of our forest. Glad the land trust has stepped forward to rescue this project – or try to …