Submitted by David Sargent, North Branford Land Conservation Trust

In 2011, the South Central Regional Water Authority (RWA) received approval to sell the Class III lands (land outside of the RWA watersheds) at the intersection of Beech Street and Pomps Lane for “highest and best use.” Unfortunately, this term often implies development, which tends to increase land value compared to leaving it as woodland. This proposal faced significant opposition due to its original zoning of R40. Before the parcels could be put up for bid, the town rezoned the land to R80. This action would force the RWA to restart its lengthy disposition process - if they wished to sell again. It was just not in the cards in the years that followed.

Fast forward ten years: Charley Ferrucci contacted the new RWA Land Manager, John Triana, offering to contribute $100,000 toward the purchase of these parcels, provided they would be preserved as open space. In turn, John reached out to me, knowing these parcels were of interest to the North Branford Land Conservation Trust (NBLCT).

Charley, who grew up in the neighborhood, was motivated by his mother’s fondness for the woodlands. He and his wife, Mary, had previously established the “Mary Lloyd Ferrucci & Charles Ferrucci Jr. Family Foundation”. They believed that preserving these parcels as natural habitat aligned perfectly with their philanthropic goals.

Recognizing Lake Gaillard as a major drinking water source, John understood the importance of protecting the land surrounding it. If developed, some backyards would be only a few hundred feet from the lake, making it difficult to protect the boundary line.

John moved forward and had the two parcels appraised for a combined total of $584,000. As much as John might have wanted to offer some discount to the land trust, for the peace of mind of the woods being a natural buffer, his fiduciary responsibility isto the RWA “ratepayers”. If he wanted the transaction to be approved, he had to use appraisals as a selling price. No discounts here. With Charley’s & Mary’s pledge of100k, and a firm selling price, the NBLCT had to figure out if acquiring these parcels was even feasible.

With a “we can do it” attitude, the board unanimously voted in favor of moving forward. It was time for the NBLCT to roll up its sleeves and begin fundraising. This would be, by far, the most expensive acquisition in the land trust’s history. Add to the $485,000 for the purchase price, we also needed to pay for associated costs - like our own appraisals, surveys, title searches, etc.

To raise this money, we applied for a state Open Space & Watershed Land Acquisition Grant (OSWA). We received letters of support from our town, our Economic Development Commission, our state legislators and our Regional Council of Governments. A lot of effort went into meeting the requirements and there were no guarantees we’d be awarded anything. There were even a few times we missed a step, and almost voided our application. When it was finally approved, we held our breath - for what seemed like eternity. Finally, in May of last year, Governor Ned Lamont announced the OSWA grant awards. To our astonishment, we were awarded $385,450! This was the second highest award in the grant round. Our hard work really paid off.

To cover some of the significant upfront costs, we applied for a Transaction Assistance Grant (TAG) through the Connecticut Land Conservation Council (CLCC) and were awarded $5000. We also had very generous donations from the Summer Hill Foundation, Donald and Celeste Krahl, Michael Belfonti of Belfonti Companies and many, many towns folk who sincerely care about nature and preserving the character of our town. On October 23rd , 3 ½ years later, we finally became the proud owners of the parcels!

Lots of NBLCT volunteer time & energy went into this effort and those hours of dedication cannot be discounted. Protecting this land from development would not have been possible without their efforts!! We had one more wonderful thing going for us. Our general counsel, Ted Fretel’s, unwavering commitment to seeing this project through to completion was invaluable.

The next chapter in this story is still to be written and you can be a part of it! We have obligations to fulfill the OSWA grant requirements, and we have ambitions of our own. Some of our to do list: create off road parking, make an ADA accessible trail to a vernal pool, a much longer trail throughout the properties and general forest management from invasive removal - to planting native trees. Our goal is to create a healthy forest everyone can enjoy for passive recreation. Join us in our efforts to preserve North Branford’s rural character. You can be proud you helped improve this land for future generations! To get involved contact: secretary@nblandtrust.org