Opequon Land Trust seeks conservation restriction on roughly 109 acres in Hampden

Laney Wilder, executive director of Opequon Land Trust, told the Hampden Select Board on May 18 that a grant-funded conservation restriction (CR) is advancing for roughly 109 acres on Cheepen Road.

Wilder said federal funds from the Forest Legacy Program will be used to compensate the McKenzie family for the value of the CR and the town will hold the recorded restriction. ‘‘The grant funds the value of the conservation restriction,’’ Wilder said, describing a process in which federal money flows through state channels to the town, which then pays the landowners and records the restriction.

Wilder said the McKenzies will remain the landowners but are willing to deed the property to Opequon Land Trust after the CR is recorded so the nonprofit can steward the land, create parking and build trails for public access. She told the board the CR outlines public access and that the landowner compensation and recording must be time-stamped at the registry of deeds before any transfer occurs.

The board and Wilder discussed next steps: a survey and final boundary agreements remain outstanding, the CR must be signed by both the Select Board and the Conservation Commission, and signatures will need notarization. Wilder said the town clerk, who is a notary, is typically available during business hours and she can return to a public meeting for signatures if necessary.

Wilder described the property as steep in places and only partly developable. ‘‘Rattlesnake Hill is so steep at the top that you just really couldn’t build,’’ she said, adding that the landowner and Opequon hope to create a safe parking area outside the CR and then develop volunteer-built trails. She estimated trail work and parking improvements could take about two to three years, dependent on fundraising and additional grants.

There was no formal Select Board vote on the CR at the May 18 meeting; Wilder asked the town to be prepared to execute paperwork once the survey is complete and the CR is ready for signatures. The board indicated it expects to coordinate timing with the Conservation Commission and the town clerk to complete notarization and recording.

What happens next: Opequon will finish the survey and notify town staff when the CR is ready for signatures; recording at the registry of deeds must occur before a transfer to Opequon and trail or parking improvements can move forward.