Selectmen Chairman Esther Hopkins last night
attempted to block residents' efforts to find a means to prevent the sale
of a piece of woodlands in South Framingham, calling them a "group of
unauthorized persons who came together in a rush." She ruled that a motion
to allow the group to pursue state funding was out of order, but was overruled
by her fellow selectmen.
28 concerned citizens attended last night's meeting
to support an ad hoc group who are working to prevent the development of the
Arthur St/Morency St Woods. In addition an e-mail petition of 25 residents
was also presented in support. The group asked only that selectmen review
at their next meeting a grant application that could result in a half-million
dollars in state funds for the development and maintenance of the land.
The group was formed of citizens and various board
members of both Framingham and Natick and has been working for several weeks to
put together a grant application to secure state Open Space
funding.
Selectman John Kahn countered Hopkins' block by
moving that the board vote on whether the motion was out of order. With
Selectman Sisitsky abstaining due to a possible conflict of interest, the
remaing selectman were unanimous in voting that the motion was valid. Kahn
said he doesn't want the actions of Selectman to discourage residents from
taking part in such decisions and he feels that the diposition of the land must
be handled in a more public manner than it has been in the past.
Town Manager George King said that town personnel
are too busy to assist the group in preparing the grant application and once
again pressed his stand that the land represents a liability. However,
other sources have pointed out that any liability on the property would be
limited to the "attractive nuisance" that is created by the old sewer pipe and
piles of curb stone that the DPW has stored in the woodlands.
- Nicola Cataldo
Chairman of the unauthorized
Arthur-Morency Woods Joint Working
Group
