Voters to decide on land purchase
Tuesday, September 05, 2006
Ian Bagley
Keene Sentinel Staff
FITZWILLIAM - Fitzwilliam is holding a special town meeting next month so voters can decide if they want to buy a 350-acre property on Jaffrey Road.
Selectmen have scheduled the meeting for Tuesday, Oct. 17.
The board has also scheduled the first of four public hearings to discuss the plan on Wednesday, Sept. 13, at 6:30 p.m. at the town hall.
Last week, Cheshire County Superior Court Judge John P. Arnold granted the board’s request to hold a special meeting this fall, so voters can weigh in on the proposed land purchase.
The parcel, which is owned by James Hancock and has about 5,000 feet of road frontage along Route 119, is available for $1.4 million, according to Selectmen Chairman Thomas F. Parker.
The plan calls for Fitzwilliam to pay for the land by issuing a 20-year bond. Buying the land will prevent it from being developed into house lots, thereby preventing an increase in the cost of education and other costs, Parker said.
Selectmen sought permission to hold a town meeting this fall, saying the property might not be available by March, when the town holds its regularly scheduled town meeting.