Date: Fri 06-Jun-1997

Publication: Bee

Author: STEVEB

Quick Words:

Amaral-land-purchase-council

Full Text:

COUNCIL GIVES AMARAL LAND DEAL FINAL OK

BY STEVE BIGHAM

The Legislative Council unanimously approved the purchase of a 13-acre piece

of property off Elm Drive at its meeting Wednesday.

The council was the final approval needed. The Board of Selectmen approved the

purchase last month. Now all the town needs to do is write a check.

Daniel and Marcus Amaral, owners of Amaral Motors, put the former farm land on

the market in March, giving right-of-first-refusal to the town.

The $400,000 property will be paid for from the town's $455,000 in open space

grants which it received from the Iroquois Gas Transmission System.

Last month, dozens of residents showed up at a council meeting to voice their

support for the purchase of the land, which lies adjacent to Dickinson Park,

just north of the tennis courts. The residents all pointed to a need for more

ballfields. And while the land will likely be used for ballfields, council

finance committee chairman John Kortze said approval of the purchase does not

mean the land will automatically be used for ballfields.

In fact, the finance committee has recommended only that the town acquire the

land. It should not immediately go ahead with any plans to develop the

property in any way, said council finance committee members. The town is

expected to hire a firm to conduct a space-use assessment to determine how the

parcel can best be used.

There are about 25 fields in Newtown that are available to the town, according

to Parks & Recreation Director Barbara Kasbarian. However, most of those

fields are on school property, which often causes scheduling problems.

Mrs Kasbarian said the land appears to be large enough for at least two

ballfields.