[P]OWNAL — The proposed sale of 218 acres of Pownal forestland by the city of North Adams, Massachusetts, has drawn the interest of conservationists who would like to see the land protected.
The land, in several contiguous parcels extending northward from the Massachusetts border, is a former backup water intake area for the city’s water system that is no longer in use.
The parcels are near the Appalachian Trail, which is located to the east, and the Green Mountain National Forest. The city, in fact, sold a total of 3,420 acres in the area to the national forest in 2006 and 2007, according to Pownal real estate records.
At North Adams Mayor Richard Alcombright’s request, the City Council last week approved seeking offers for the land, which is part of the Broad Brook watershed area.
The mayor said proposals will be considered based on price and suitability of use. One of his priorities, he said, is that the planned use be environmentally friendly.
“My preference is I would love to see some protection for the land,” he said.
Other forestland in the area belongs to the Trustees of Reservation — part of a preserved natural area in Williamstown, Massachusetts, and Pownal that includes hiking trails.
The city-owned property is assessed at $378,300 on 218.6 acres. There was discussion at the City Council meeting of whether that assessment was high, but the valuation has never been grieved, according to town lister records.
Donald Campbell, southwest regional director with the Vermont Land Trust, said the organization is aware of the proposed sale and interested in helping to preserve the 218 acres, “if that is a priority for the town of Pownal.”
The land trust previously helped secure grant funding for the town to purchase about 700 acres of forestland in North Pownal along the Taconic Range and established a conservation easement for the former Pownal Tanning Co. property.