By Scott MacKeen
Staff Writer
11/5/09
With opinions on the Town Farm property continuing to swirl as officials ready for a public meeting next week, one town official is making it known that he opposes much of what has been said about the land.
Asked last week about his thoughts on a report released recently by a study committee appointed
by the board, Selectmen Chairman John Shields said he has read the document and disagrees with much of its content.
“There are parts I don’t agree with,” including constructing multiple units of affordable housing on the 34-acre property, Shields said. “I think multiple units would be the worst thing you could do.”
In its report to Selectmen, developing affordable housing on the Town Farm is one way the Gov. Stoughton Trust Land Committee recommends raising capital for an endowment fund to maintain and preserve historic land and structures on the site.
The study committee, a seven-member board of volunteer residents, was appointed last March by Selectmen to determine how the town can best utilize the farm under the parameters of Colonial Gov. William Stoughton’s will. In his 1701 will, Stoughton gifted his land to the town and specified that it be used to benefit “the poor” under the trust of the town Selectmen.
While he commended the committee for offering a “comprehensive” document with multiple options for the board to consider, Shields said a high-density housing plan is not one he would support.
“Why would you want to devalue one of our most valuable neighborhoods?” he said.
Shields said there have also been rumors going around town that aren’t true, including that a giant affordable housing project for the Town Farm is secretly being pushed by top officials. He said some residents have been “spreading that misinformation beyond their purview.”
“People have been saying there is a charter out there that we have to build affordable housing. There is no such charter,” he said. “A lot of people on both sides are reading into things that aren’t there. I think everybody just needs to calm down a little bit.”
Affordable-housing proponents in town have consistently stated they do not want to see a high-density construction, either, but instead favor a modest housing plan. Milton resident Tom Callahan, executive director of the Massachusetts Affordable Housing Alliance, has said his goal has been to inform residents about the issue surrounding the farm rather than to push one specific plan.
Contacted last week, Selectmen Kathy Fagan and Marion McEttrick said they would reserve judgment on the property, as they continue to wait for the committee’s report to be finalized. They say the report is just the first piece in what could be a long decision-making process for how the town will decide to use the land.
“I believe that there should be much more research and public comment taken before any decision could be made regarding this parcel,” said Fagan in an e-mail, pointing out that any decision also must be supported by the attorney general and probate court. “I do not believe that we, as trustees, can or should move quickly regarding any change to this property unless we are sure that we completely understand the legal ramifications and potential long-term impacts to all involved parties.”
The committee released a preliminary draft of its report to Selectmen early last month, and the same document was made public once the board reviewed it.
Although she read the 18-page report, McEttrick would not comment on how the findings will shape her own deliberations.
“I think it would be premature to speculate as to whether the contents of the report change my personal opinions on the matter, since it has not been finalized,” she said.
However, she said she had hoped for more from the initial draft.
“I had hoped that the committee would explore various approaches to the trust’s purpose, and the problem of the land and buildings, and that I would be able as a selectman/trustee to go to the next step better informed about what options might exist. I am not expecting a single course of action to be recommended but the report is not final, so perhaps that will be the result – I don’t know,” she said.
Shields agreed that the Selectmen’s deliberations will take time. “There aren’t going to be bulldozers there next summer. We are really still in the pre-preliminary stage,” he said.
Gov. Stoughton committee members have said they plan to finalize their report after taking public comments on the initial draft. A public meeting is scheduled for Monday, Nov. 9, at 7 p.m. at Pierce Middle School.
McEttrick said the Selectmen will likely start including Town Farm discussions on their own meeting agendas once they have a final report. Shields said he has spoken to Town Administrator Kevin Mearn about the Selectmen also holding their own public meetings on the issue.
“It’s time now for the trustees to step up and take responsibility,” he said.
The Gov. Stoughton Committee’s draft report can be found on the town Web site, www.townofmilton.org, by clicking on the committee’s link on the Selectmen’s page.