Gap closes, easing preservation of open space

Preserving open space could become significantly more attainable with a legislative amendment that removes a cap on state and federal grant funding.

Both the state House and Senate voted unanimously last week to approve the change to Senate Bill 347, “An Act Concerning the Percentage of State and Federal Funds That May Be Used to Purchase Open Space Under the Open Space and Watershed Land Acquisition Program.”

It removes the 70 percent ceiling for open space purchases that essentially prevented tapping both funding sources for a purchase.

What it will do is open up the flow of federal dollars, according to Tim Abbott, director of the Litchfield Hills Greenprint Collaborative (and a Lakeville Journal columnist).

Abbot said the original legislation, written by former state Sen. Andrew Roraback, was created to solve a land trust purchase crisis in Sherman, Conn.

“At the time, the state Department of Environmental Protection didn’t like the idea in principal,” he said.

“You couldn’t match federal with state funding because then there was a good chance a purchase would be totally funded, and there would be no local skin in the game.”

Federal funding typically comes from the Highlands Conservation Act. The restriction meant that money was often left on the table.

State Rep. Roberta Willis (D-64) said that instead of the typical Oct. 1 start date, the change takes effect with passage, and will capture about five pending land purchases in the state, including ones in Kent and Cornwall.

“Another problem is that matching grants didn’t include other costs, such as legal fees,” Willis said. “For most towns, just reaching the 30 percent is a major hurdle. Trusts rely heavily on private donations, usually from a core group. You can only go back to that well so often.”

Willis said the amendment was prompted by land trusts and organizations such as the Nature Conservancy, with whom she worked to find a solution to filling the open space funding gap.