DEM again shows Charlestown how it could be done

New Open Space purchase contrasts with YMCA land deal

Not the Burrillville Open Space

July 2, 2012 - The state Department of Environmental Management (DEM) has acquired 189 acres from the Boy Scouts of Rhode Island on a parcel in Burrillville that is adjacent to more than 7,000 acres of state-preserved land.

The property is considered among the highest priority conservation parcels in the state, according to the DEM, and the high concentration of protected land in the area allows for increased habitat protection with minimal disturbance.

Preservation of the property strongly aligns with the state’s comprehensive wildlife conservation strategy.

The state’s contribution to this conservation project from voter approved bond funds accounted for less than 10 percent of the total purchase price. The total cost of the acquisition was $900,000. DEM provided $83,000 from state Open Space Bond funds, $367,000 was provided by a federal wildlife incentive grant from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and $450,000 came from grant funds provided by The Nature Conservancy and The Champlin Foundations.

In March the DEM bought 84 acres in Richmond and we wrote an article contrasting that to the proposed YMCA land purchase deal here in Charlestown.

As we did in our March article, let’s see how this deal compares with Charlestown’s YMCA proposal.

Burrillville acquisition	Charlestown’s Y-Gate
Size of acquisition – 189 acres	27.5 acres
Acquisition cost: $900,000	$600,000 plus cleanup
Basis for cost: open space bought at an open space price	Trashed-out Y-camp zoned as open space-rec, but priced as if it was a residential development
Source of money: federal, state and non-profits (non-profits that had no interest in the YMCA land)	Town of Charlestown and state DEM, substantial private donations promised but not confirmed
Cost per acre: $4,762	$21,818 plus cleanup
Condition of property: pristine	Trashed out campground, derelict buildings, old septic systems, cracked asphalt, etc.
Ownership & management: State of Rhode Island	Charlestown Land Trust
Access: unlimited	Likely by appointment only
Water access: Brook	Pond
Is the land really open space? Yep, no question	The Charlestown Conservation Commission says it isn’t

Complete DEM press release on the Burrillville purchase is available here.

A tip of the hat to ecori.org for publishing the press release which brought this to our attention.