Mansfield open to buying land

State grant will help town preserve 71 acres for conservation

MANSFIELD - Environmental Affairs Secretary 'Trudy Coxe delivered a $60,610 grant Friday toward the purchase of 71 acres of conservation land.

The money will supplement roughly $100,000 appropriated by the town this spring.

Natural Resources Trust President Leonard Flynn, who helped engineer the purchase of the land for the town, said the grant recognizes the urgency of preserving open space in one of the fastest-growing areas of the Commonwealth.

Coxe said a total of 87,000 acres of undeveloped land have been set aside for conservation under a Weld-Cellucci administration initiative since 1995.

Because the southeastern portion of the state as well as Cape Cod are developing at such a rapid pace, Coxe said, the state has earmarked a total of $30 million for open land preservation in that area over the next four years.

Local support

Coxe credited local legislators for supporting an open space bond issue two years ago that provided funds for the purchases.

Coxe formally presented the grant to town officials on the grounds of the former Scott-Goyea farm, part of more than 500 acres of land aquired by the town for conservation purposes. Together with Norton, the two towns have now preserved more than 1,000 acres of unspoiled land, Flynn said.

Also on hand for Friday's ceremony were State Sen William Keating, D-Sharon, state Representatives Kevin Poirier, R-North Attleboro and Barbara Hyland, R-Foxboro, members of the board of selectmen and the conservation commission.

reprint from The Attleboro Sun Chronicle