Shelly DeMeo - June 19, 2001

I am a member of a group who would like to develop a 34 unit cohousing community in Bolton. If you do not know what a cohousing community is, let me explain. Cohousing communities typically buy large parcels of land and cluster a village of homes very tightly. The remainder of the land could be maintained "forever wild."

For example, if we were to purchase a piece of property in Bolton, like 20 acres. Instead of a traditional developer coming in and cookie cutting it up into 1 acre home lots and leveling the nature and forests in the process, we would develop our homes on 5 acres, creating a close knit village community, while maintaining the rest in open space.

We have been contacted by several land trusts after our front page article about our project in the Hartford Courant. We are currently looking for a site and would prefer the beauty of Bolton. Our group would like to speak with the Bolton land trust to see if perhaps a piece of property, that you would not like a developer to get its hands on, could be worked out.

Please check out the concept of cohousing at www.cohousing.org or check out our group at www.greaterhartfordcohousing.com.

Gwen Marrion - Feb. 8, 2001

I would like to provide a little background for those not familiar with a land trust. A land trust is a non-profit organization whose primary purpose is to preserve land. Setting up a land trust is fairly simple; only a few documents have to be filed with the State and maybe the Federal government to establish its non-profit status.

The goals of the land trust and how they will be reached will be up to the organizers of the land trust, who are any interested people who come to the organizational meeting (on a date still to be determined).

The organizers could decide that there is one spectacular property that the land trust should buy, which would mean applying for grants or fundraising. Or the organizers could decide that the land trust should only accept donations of land, and focus their energies on contacting landowners and engaging them in conversations about how donating property can benefit them financially. These are just two examples.

At this point there is no Bolton Land Trust. The members of the Open Space Acquisition and Preservation Commission feel that there is a need for one, so the Commission sponsored an information session that was held on Jan. 31 at which two speakers reiterated Bolton's need for a land trust. The next step is for all interested people to meet to 1) either vote to organize a Bolton Land Trust, or 2) to join forces with another town's land trust. The latter option is important to consider because often there is initial excitement about a project but then the necessary support dwindles.

If anyone is interested in meeting to discuss the organization of a land trust, please contact me and I will let you know when the meeting will take place. The more minds that come together on this issue the better.

Hans DePold - Feb. 6, 2001

Everyone knows the wonderful job the Open Space Commission and especially Gwen Marion have done in getting a grant and now planning the stewardship of the Rose Farm. The land trust would take care of open space and the Historical Society has begun to collect the paperwork for a heritage preservation trust to maintain Bolton's historic buildings as they are donated.

I have observed that by being inclusive in membership, Coventry has had success in these kinds of activities. The Coventry Historical Society now has five buildings in trusts and during the past ten years have had a $30,000 surplus after expenses for maintenance. The Nathan Hale Homestead is in a class by itself and pulls its own weight under Antiquarian's stewardship. All of these trusts have diverse membership going far beyond the bounds of Coventry. The Coventry Ancient Fife and Drum Corp is populated more than 50% from out of town and the directors are from Manchester.