Somers accepts $35,000 grant to develop master plan for Anglefly Preserve

The Somers Town Board on March 5 authorized the supervisor to execute a proposal to develop a master plan for a 15-acre frontage of the Anglefly Preserve near the Reynolds House using a $35,000 grant award.

Consulting town engineer Steve Robbins said the grant will fund field investigations, community-input meetings, diagrams and a master-plan document to guide future uses of the parcel. "The town was awarded that grant application in the amount of $35,000," Robbins said.

Board discussion noted that the plan will engage parks and recreation, scout organizations and other local stakeholders; Robbins said Cornell Cooperative Extension will help catalog indigenous and invasive plants so the plan can match recreation uses to environmental constraints. "Some areas may be set aside and preserved as untouched space," Robbins said, describing the plan’s intent to overlay environmental constraints with community needs.

Members also discussed a dilapidated house nearby that appears to be outside the 15-acre parcel; board members said no state restoration grant is currently available and that the structure may be a separate remediation or documentation project. A board member suggested exploring grant opportunities or digital documentation, but no formal action on the house occurred.

Supervisor Mark moved that the supervisor be authorized to execute the design/master-plan proposal; the motion was seconded and approved by voice vote. Officials said the $35,000 grant covers the master-plan work and that the town will not incur that cost, which the board said should improve competitiveness for future grant opportunities.