Town Administrator Scott Szczebak announced that the town will close on the 117-125 College Hwy. land before or on Sept. 30.
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SOUTHAMPTON — A major land acquisition of a 52-acre plot of land on College Highway is on the verge of reaching the finish line.
During the Aug. 6 Select Board meeting, Southampton Town Administrator Scott Szczebak announced that the town will close on the 117-125 College Hwy. land before or on Sept. 30.
He told the board that the wetlands delineation is finished and the title search is on the verge of being done, as well.
“It should be a relatively straightforward process on the transaction part,” Szczebak said. “The borrowing, we’re going to have to talk about eventually.”
In order to execute the purchase of the land, the town asked residents to vote on whether they would authorize the town to purchase the 52 acres, which are across from the Cumberland Farms convenience store.
Once that passed, the town then spearheaded a special election on June 25, where the majority of registered voters voted to support a debt exclusion so the town could execute the purchase. According to a tally provided by Town Clerk Luci Dalton, 626 voters were in favor of the debt exclusion, while 400 were against it.
With the ballot question passed, the town is now allowed to borrow up to $2.2 million to pay for the property, an amount that will be financed across 20 years.
The property is being bought from members of the Labrie family, who originally donated four acres for the siting of a new public safety complex. The original gift was landlocked. Town officials first discussed the purchase of a few additional acres to provide direct access onto College Highway.
While the primary use of the Labrie land will be for a public safety complex, the town may also consider the land for their new senior center since the original desired property at 89 Clark St. did not work out.
Other uses have been discussed for the land, including playing fields for soccer and baseball. Prior to the negotiation of the larger land deal there was discussion of erecting a condominium project on the site. But the central location, per test results and extent of usable footage make the spot, complete with lovely views of Mount Tom, ideal for municipal uses. The proposed greenway bike path runs along the property and will also enhance usability for an aging population.
During the Aug. 6 meeting, Select Board member Stephen Johnson suggested that the board put together some type of acquisition committee, arguing that this is a complex and detailed process.
“It’s a very big commitment that the town took on, both at Annual Town Meeting and Special Election to approve the borrowing,” Johnson said. “The lights are bright upon us as a board of select to do a competent job and a thorough job.”
In response, Szczebak and Select Board Chair Christine Fowles said that keeping the remaining process within the purview of the town’s legal counsel is the best move.
“So, getting through all the next steps, working with legal counsel on finalizing everything that has to be done is what I think is right,” Fowles said. “I don’t think a subcommittee of us to help do that is going to be particularly helpful, in my mind.”
Szczebak said in the past that a rough estimate of 10 cents per thousand as the impact on the tax rate for the debt exclusion of $2.2 million. He estimated that an owner of a property with the average assessed value, about $420,000, will see a $42 annual increase in their taxes. A shorter borrowing period would result in a higher annual tax increase.
The Select Board will eventually need to approve the acceptance of the deed prior to closing, according to Szczebak.
