SOUTH HADLEY — The town and Kestrel Land Trust has raised enough funds, including through private donations, to ensure 210 acres of farmland abutting the Connecticut River will permanently be for farm use through an agricultural preservation restriction attached to the land’s deed.
The State Department of Agricultural Resources had pledged to pay $1.7 million to Lauzier family, owners of the Lauzier Family Farm on Alvord Street, which is 90% of the land’s $1.89 million value.
This payment was contingent on the municipality making a 10% match of $190,000 in exchange for the permanent deed restriction — money that is now in hand.
In a statement, the town said over the past 18 months, there was “a steady flow of donations,” but the funding gap was met by a former resident of the town.
“Our community and generations to come will benefit greatly from the protection of Lauzier Farm,” South Hadley Town Administrator Lisa Wong said.