http://cptv.vo.llnwd.net/o2/ypmwebcontent/Chion/nc%20110506%20EHaddam%20Landswap.mp3
State lawmakers are considering a bill that would swap a piece of preserved land in Haddam with a developer for a much larger property. But officials in East Haddam have voted against the deal and are sending a letter to lawmakers and the state’s environmental Commissioner arguing against the swap. WNPR’s Nancy Cohen reports.
Senator Eileen Daily has proposed exchanging a 17 acre state wildlife area with a view of the Connecticut River for 87 acres of woods next to a state forest. Daily says the state would benefit by getting better access to the forest and more habitat for wildlife. And she says the swap would create an opportunity to develop the land with the river view and stimulate the local economy.
In March, East Haddam First Selectman Mark Walter testified to lawmakers saying that developing the river view site would benefit his town. But now Walter and the other East Haddam selectmen have voted against the swap. Walter says it would set a dangerous precedent for selling land that had been acquired for open space.
“We have a successful acquisition program that is depends upon the support of the local landowners. And we don’t want a precedent to be set, by the state, that could harm our future acquisitions of key properties and the trust of the public in the whole process of open space.”
The state purchased the land that could be swapped in 2003 for $1.35 million. The deed for the property says it “should be retained in its natural scenic or open condition as park or public open space.”
