Selectmen approve Golden Dam purchase contingent on clear title after trust ownership questions

The Milford Board of Selectmen voted to proceed with acquiring the Golden Dam but made the purchase contingent on a successful title search after staff raised questions about who actually holds legal title.

At the meeting, Town Administrator Laurie Radke and staff noted a letter in the project file indicating the former Helen Goodwin Trust appears in state records as owner of the upper dam (also referenced in the packet as Coleman/Golden/Goldman Dam), even though the trust was dissolved in 2005. Board members reported that deed searches and registry records did not show an obvious transfer to the listed party; legal counsel recommended a detailed title examination.

"So the bottom line is who owns that dam? Right now, we're getting a letter from the attorney of that trust asking us to transfer ownership from that trust to the town," a staff member said, summarizing the ambiguous chain of title. Another participant said a title search would likely require a "deep dive" and that counsel estimated the search could cost "about $1,000 to $3,000." The board discussed asking the seller for an extension to allow more time for legal review; staff volunteered to contact the attorney representing the former trust to seek an extension.

After debate, a motion to take ownership contingent on a successful title search and clear title was moved, seconded and carried 4–1. The board also noted that any final purchase would require legal confirmation of authority to transfer the property and that the purchase would be subject to that confirmation.

The vote formalizes the board’s intent while preserving legal safeguards: if counsel cannot confirm clear title, the town will not complete the transfer. Staff will pursue the recommended title examination and report the findings back to the board before completing any conveyance.

The discussion also touched on environmental and shoreline-protection guidance in a DES letter concerning vegetation management along the river; staff clarified DES had issued recommendations rather than mandatory directives.

Next steps: legal counsel to perform or oversee the title search, staff to request an extension from the letter author/seller if needed, and the board to reconsider final execution pending counsel’s findings.