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Select Board declines to fund Richmond Land Trust purchase without more information; invites Land Trust to present
Summary
The board heard a request for $7,500 from the Conservation Reserve Fund to buy an 11.2‑acre riverine parcel. Members expressed concern that the parcel sits in the floodway and that the Land Trust should explain access, public benefit and stewardship before taxpayer funds are spent.
The Richmond Select Board on July 21 considered a Richmond Land Trust request for $7,500 from the Conservation Reserve Fund to buy an 11.2‑acre parcel on the river floodplain east of the village. The Select Board did not move to fund the purchase and asked the Land Trust to appear at a future meeting to explain benefits and public access.
A Land Trust designee described the parcel as a remnant silver‑maple/ostrich‑fern floodplain community and said the organization would contribute other funds and apply to The Nature Conservancy for additional support. The designee said the Land Trust anticipated placing trails and signage and that the parcel would provide wildlife‑corridor and riparian benefits.
Several residents and board members disputed the need for town funding. One commenter said the parcel appeared to be in the floodway, which already limits development, and urged the Land Trust to raise private funds instead of drawing on town reserves. Another speaker noted the town’s conservation reserve fund balance and argued priority needs for reserve spending, including Town Center maintenance.
Board members said they wanted the Land Trust present to answer questions about access, stewardship, and specific incremental benefits to taxpayers. In the absence of the applicant and specific access plans, the board declined to move the request forward and invited the Richmond Land Trust to return with a detailed presentation.
