Town of Sherman, Connecticut Website

Please take note of the Notice of Referedum.on May 17th. In addition to the two items concerning the budgets for the fiscal year that will begin on July 1st of this year, two other items concern proposed acquisitions of land: one the property known as Happy Acres Farm and the other the property known as Towner Hill. Both acquisitions have been under consideration for a long time.

Back in May of 2006, I sent a letter to Tony Hapanowich, owner of Happy Acres Farm, expressing the Town’s very strong interest in working with him to acquire this property and to preserve it as farmland. Co-signing that letter and joining me in subsequent negotiations were David Wieder, Chair of the Land Acquisition Fund Advisory Board, and Marge Josephson, President of Naromi Land Trust. We obtained an appraisal of the property, and worked on the details of a plan that would satisfy Tony’s needs, preserve the farm as a working farm, avoid a financial burden to the Town beyond the property purchase, and provide an eventual headquarters for Naromi’s many farming endeavors. Before we can move ahead with this purchase, we need the commitment from the Town authorizing this purchase using funds available through the $3.5 million bond authorization approved last June.

While the final details are still to be worked out, the Happy Acres proposal involves the purchase by the Town for $1 million of three parcels comprising the open farm land: two parcels lying along Route 39 North between Farm Road and Taber Road and the parcel known as the 'Bull Meadow' across Route 39 adjacent to Edmond Road. Naromi Land Trust, through a donor, will purchase the remaining 49 acres containing the homestead and barns to the north of Taber Road. Both the Town and Naromi will pursue open space and farmland preservation grants to defray the cost of the purchase.

Tony has expressed his desire to remain on the farm as well as to maintain and actively farm it as long as he is able, and our proposal honors those wishes. When Tony has retired from farming, Naromi will begin its stewardship of the land. Several tenant farmers have expressed an interest in continuing the cattle operation that is in place. A Happy Acres Farm Preservation Foundation will be established to support the on-going maintenance of the property, funded by private donations and the proceeds of the cell tower that is currently on the property.

The open space to be acquired by the Town is taxed at a nominal level, so there is minimal loss of tax revenues. The bulk of the taxes on the homestead property are on the buildings, and Naromi pays taxes due on buildings and will continue to do so with this property.

The second proposed acquisition involves the purchase of a conservation easement to Towner Hill for $350,000. Remaining funding would come from the $500,000 Open Space grant already in hand, funds designated for this purchase through the federal Highlands Act, and private donations solicited by Naromi.

The Towner Hill property was offered to the Town shortly after the Land Acquisition Fund was established. Our negotiations were stalled when the anticipated $500,000 in Highlands Act funding was diverted by the Department of Environmental Protection to another project. The loophole in State statute that resulted in the loss of these funds has now been closed, and Sherman is scheduled to receive $250,000 in Highlands Act funding toward this purchase.

Happy Acres is the symbol of Sherman. To lose any aspect of the farm as it exists today would be to lose the heart and soul of the Town. The farm represents Sherman's historic roots as well as its vibrant present, and is most worthy of preservation for generations to come. Towner Hill is a pristine ecological gem, with a large vernal pool and original growth forestland. Dominating the ridgeline of eastern Sherman, this property can be seen for miles and represents another special aspect of our Town.

When the Town voted last year to approve bond issues for the acquisition of open space, these two purchases were at the very forefront of most voters' vision for Sherman's future. Now, one year later, we will have the opportunity to vote to make that vision a reality.