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Selectmen OK Finance Package For Queen St Properties

BY STEVE BIGHAM

The Board of Selectmen Monday passed a financial plan for the proposed

purchase of the state-owned Queen Street properties.

The purchase of the land, totaling $1.2 million, is contingent upon the

approval of the Planning & Zoning Commission, the Legislative Council and

ultimately the taxpayers at a town meeting and/or referendum.

Before any decisions can be made, however, the selectmen had to first come up

with a way to pay for the property. They opted to finance the purchase two

ways. First, it recommended that all land the town plans to hold on to be paid

for with a loan. If the town ever decides to buy portions of the land for

re-sale, that would be purchased through the capital and non-recurring

expenditures account.

First Selectman Herb Rosenthal said money raised from the sale of the

properties would be returned to the town's reserve account.

The selectmen's plan is simply a recommendation. The Legislative Council has

the final say on all financing methods.

The council has not yet considered the Queen Street issue and is still waiting

for more information. What is known is that the state has offered the town

eight homes and six lots on the eastern side of Queen Street, south of Grand

Place. The homes once housed staff members from Fairfield Hills.

So far, possible scenarios for the Queen Street property include: re-selling

the land with deed restrictions; ballfields; some sort of unspecified

municipal use.