New Hampshire

Windham weighs farmland conservation, new garage

Town looks for way to save rural land

By Terry Date
tdate@eagletribune.com
Published: January 14, 2009

WINDHAM — Prospective bonds to protect rural property and to build a garage and salt shed generated debate at Monday's public hearing on the warrant articles.

Land conservation proponent Wayne Morris said his citizens petitions would both raise $5 million to preserve some of Windham's remaining farmland, and set up a fund to use current-use dollars to defray annual bond payments.

The first payment on a 10-year bond would come due in 2010 and cost taxpayers 34 cents per $1,000 of property valuation. That figure would gradually decline to 23 cents per $1,000 in the final year of the bond payment in 2019.

If bonded over 20 years, the payment schedule would range from 26 cents in 2010 to 12 cents in the final year, 2029.

In the past, Morris said, taxpayers have shown a willingness to spend money on preserving the town's rural character and prevent it from being developed into residential housing.

"I have faith in taxpayers," he said.

An opponent of the proposal, Selectman Dennis Senibaldi argued the town is unlikely to generate many current-use dollars in the coming years, given the tough economic conditions.

"If I knew the money was there to be paid, I would have less of an issue with this," he said in a later interview.

Landowners pay a penalty to the town when they take land out of current use in order to develop the property. Those dollars go to the Conservation Commission, which uses them for land conservation.

The commission currently has about $420,000 banked from current-use taxes.

Senibaldi also argued that the town's rising debt burden from the new high school would make it harder for taxpayers to shoulder bond payments.

Another bond item presented Monday proposes building a new salt shed and a garage for the Highway Department.

The shed would meet EPA stormwater requirements. The garage would store equipment and give town highway workers a place to warm up and use restrooms.

The structures would be on town-owned land off Route 111 to the right of the transfer station.

The article proposes bonding up to $625,000 for site work and building construction. The bond payment schedule would be over five years, with the first payment in 2010 at 7 cents per $1,000 of property valuation. The remaining four years would be 4 cents per $1,000 of valuation.

The land also has room to accommodate a fuel depot and an additional structure.

Resident Margaret Case sought assurances that the project, especially a fuel depot, would not threaten the area water supply.

Town Administrator Dave Sullivan said the project would be under the scrutiny of the EPA, as well as the watchful eye of transfer station supervisor Dave Paulson, an environmental engineer.

Sullivan also presented the town budget, which is in the negative for the first time in his 20-plus years as town administrator.

Proposed spending will be less than last year's because revenues are about double last year's, almost $1.3 million as opposed to $651,028 last year.

The revenues, including almost $300,000 from state and federal sources, will offset appropriations. The total net budget for 2009 is $12,407,234, which is 0.127 percent less than last year's $12,422,987.

Still, resident Tom Case said this budget should have been much less because of non-recurring expenditures from last year.

Residents can debate these and other articles at the town deliberative session Feb. 7, at 9 a.m., at Golden Brook Elementary School.

Balloting will take place March 10.

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