Land Acquisition Approved
• At Gray Special Town Meeting
Jul 27, 2010 – July 27th – The town of Gray held a special Town Meeting Tuesday night to vote on the approval of a transfer of $66,000 from a recreation fund to purchase property adjacent to the Pennell property. The money comes from the nearly $130,000 in the Subdivision D Recreation Fund, which is used to purchase land for recreational or conversational purposes. The town had just that chance with the two parcels of land at 28 Main St.
The first order of business was to elect a moderator for the meeting. Town Attorney Bill Dale was unanimously voted to hold the temporary position, as he had at an earlier special town meeting. It was then on to the main purpose of the meeting, to discuss and vote on the proposed transfer of funds.
Al Palmer of Gorrill-Palmer Consulting, and the Town Engineer on the project, led a presentation showing the current property area and its surroundings, and what the property would likely look like after the proposed purchase. Palmer explained how the property could be used for more recreational fields, and how it would affect the neighboring parcels of land. Palmer then answered a series of residents' questions, many for clarification of terms and affected areas.
Palmer proposed the addition of a youth soccer field among the uses for the extra recreational space, as well as the possibility of a walking path that would start from Colley Hill Rd or the Town Hall and wrap around the fields. As the recreational fund money can only be used to purchase land for recreational/conversational use, this seemed like the likeliest scenario. After some clarification it was also noted that fund money could be used for the maintenance and improvement of the fields.
After some comments, questions and concerns from the townspeople and the Town Council, the Article was put to a vote. The Article passed with ease, as over æ of the roughly 100 residents in attendance voted yes. It is now up to the town to figure out the exact future of the newest piece of town property.
