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Select Board to put warrant article before voters to accept James B. Jordan bequests
Summary
The board agreed to draft a warrant article asking voters whether to accept real estate and funds bequeathed by the late James B. Jordan, including a residence to be used for rescue training, roughly 14 acres for recreation, and an estimated residuary estate of about $750,000.
The Buckfield Select Board agreed on March 11 to draft a warrant article for the town meeting that would allow voters to decide whether to accept a multi-part bequest from the estate of longtime resident James B. Jordan.
Town staff told the board the will leaves Mr. Jordan’s house at 150 Depot Street to the town to be used “for the specific purpose of providing a location for training and support for Buckfield Rescue.” The will also leaves the remainder of the real estate — about 16 acres in total with the residence and two acres set aside for training — to the town “to be used for the specific purpose of providing recreational opportunities to the public.” The bequest includes a $20,000 donation to fund an annual senior trip to Portland Head Light and additional sums originally intended for the Zadok Longfree Library that will instead be distributed to the residuary estate because the library trust terminated.
The town attorney and the estate’s attorney, the manager told the board, recommend the town accept the bequest. The estate documents purportedly require that the residence parcel not be sold and that the residuary funds be invested in government-insured deposits, money market accounts or CDs, with income used to maintain the property. Staff estimated the residuary estate at roughly $750,000 (not final).
Select Board member Sandra urged broad community input if voters approve accepting the bequest: “It will be a wonderful, extremely generous gift to the town of Buckfield, and it will be wonderful, I think, if we had as much community input on it as we could,” she said. Board members discussed preliminary ideas including a trail connection from Depot Street, additional ball fields or a multiuse indoor facility if fundraising and interest supported it, but emphasized no decisions would be made absent voter approval and further planning.
The board voted to move forward with drafting the warrant article so the proposal will appear on this year’s town warrant. The article text, staff said, will be circulated to the board for review before it is finalized and posted for the annual meeting.
