To the Editor:
Hardwick has a rare opportunity to conserve Buffalo Mountain, ensuring it is publicly accessible as a Town Forest forever, at little cost to the town.
The 329-acre parcel includes the summit and stretches of the Lamoille River and the rail trail, within ready access of the village.
The Hardwick Conservation Commission (HCC), working with Northern Rivers Land Trust (NRLT) and the Trust for Public Land (TPL), began discussions in June with owners Ken, Chris, and Margaret Davis. TPL now has an Option Agreement with the owners, who have taken the property off the market and agreed to sell it for $530,000, a value determined by an independent appraisal.
The total project budget is $810,000, including costs for the appraisal, other due diligence, and project staffing. A $25,000 town contribution, three percent of the project budget, would be returned to the town as a management fund. The contribution is the subject of Article 7 at town meeting on March 3. You must be present to vote on this article.
HCC, NRLT and TPL will raise the balance of the funds. Once purchased, likely by the end of 2026, the property would be turned over to the town to own and manage as a town forest.
After town meeting, a steering committee of interested community members will develop a management plan for the proposed town forest with community input about priority uses.
Two information meetings on the project will be held: Thursday, Feb. 19, the first at noon on Zoom, the second in person at 6 p.m., at the Jeudevine Library’s Parker Ladd Room.
For more information, including registration for the Zoom meeting, go to the hardwickvt.gov/government/committees-commissions/conservation-commission/
I hope to see you at town meeting.
Paul Cillo
Hardwick
