Select Board agrees to $10,000 contribution for Gould Lot conservation

The Alton Select Board on April 22 approved a request from the Conservation Commission to contribute $10,000 toward acquisition costs for a bequeathed parcel known as the Gould Lot at Stockbridge Corner.

Mister Young, a member of the Conservation Commission, told the board the commission has voted to provide $10,000 from the conservation fund to defray acquisition expenses that remain as the property transfers from William Gould’s estate through the Audubon Society to the Lakes Region Conservation Trust. "What we have in mind is to donate $10,000 towards the acquisition costs," Young said.

Young said the $10,000 would not cover the full estimated acquisition budget — Lakes Region Conservation Trust estimated about $22,000 in transaction costs, including surveying, appraisal and legal fees — and that other parties would cover the remainder. He described the property as roughly 80.4 acres with substantial Coffin Brook frontage and wetlands and noted a snowmobile trail crosses the parcel.

Select Board members moved and seconded a motion to permit the Conservation Commission to make the contribution; the board voted unanimously, with the chairman calling, “All those in favor? Aye. Motion passes.” The contribution still requires a public hearing and a final Conservation Commission decision before funds are disbursed.

Board members and the commission discussed whether the Audubon consultant fee should be the Audubon Society’s responsibility; Young said the commission had chosen not to fund that $5,000 allowance. The board also discussed existing easements on adjacent gravel-pit properties and the parcel’s conserved neighbors.

The board asked staff to schedule the required public hearing and to return with final documentation on the conservation fund transfer.