At the Annual Meeting of the Acton Water District held last March, voters overwhelmingly approved the allocation of $4,900,000 to purchase the 57-acre parcel at 549 Main Street on the south side of Brook Street, and obtain a permanent Conservation Restriction on that tract of land. In the presentation of this article the Commissioners of the Water District noted the generosity of the Conant family in offering this property at a price that is well below market value. The primary purpose of this purchase is to enhance the protection of the wells that currently supply the Central Acton Water Treatment Plant, and facilitate the development of two new bedrock wells that will diversify the water supply. This article received the full support of Acton’s Open Space Committee, which has a strong interest in preserving public access to land that includes a large section of the Isaac Davis Trail and also serves as an irreplaceable habitat for local vegetation and wildlife. The Open Space Committee also requested that the Community Preservation Committee recommend the approval of $1,030,000 at Town Meeting for the purchase of the Conservation Restriction on this property. This expenditure passed by a 2/3 vote at the Annual Town Meeting in May.
To further mitigate the financial impact of this land purchase, District Manager Matthew Mostoller and his staff worked closely with Town officials, State Senator Jamie Eldridge, State Representative Simon Cataldo, the Acton Conservation Trust, and the Sudbury Valley Trustees to apply for State grants and low-interest loans. As a result of these collaborative efforts, the Healey-Driscoll Administration announced two awards this summer totaling more than $2,000,000 to support the 549 Main Street purchase. On July 25th, a grant in the amount of $500,000 was awarded by the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs’ Drinking Water Supply Protection Program to safeguard drinking water and protect public health in Acton. With regard to this grant, Senator Eldridge stated that “The Acton Water District does an incredible job of not only ensuring that water is safe to drink and use, but also acts in an environmentally sustainable manner, and this grant reflects the state’s continued recognition of the district’s vision and leadership.”
On August 30th, the Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness (MVP) program announced the award of a second grant for the purchase of 549 Main Street in the amount of $1,501,610. This money is part of an $28.5 million dollar State program that has been established to address the impacts of climate change. The grant announcement includes the following statement. “The acquisition of this parcel will enable two bedrock wells located on the premises to be used as additional sources of water supply, increasing resilience to drought, as these wells are much less susceptible to failure and other negative impacts attributable to drought conditions than the network of shallow sand and gravel wells that currently supply water to 95% of the community. Additionally, the project seeks to protect the natural resources this property offers, including a multi-aged forest, freshwater wetlands, an open meadow, and two potential vernal pools. These natural resources offer priority habitat for rare species and their preservation will provide flood mitigation, carbon sequestration, and cooling shade during extreme heat in a densely populated and developed part of the community.”
The two State grants for the land purchase and the Town’s contribution for the Conservation Restriction on the 549 Main Street property compensate the Acton Water District for 62% of the total acquisition cost. The Water District has issued a 6-month bond anticipation note for the full purchase price of $4.9million, but will recover about $3 million of this expenditure. A 20-year General Obligation Bond will be issued for the balance in the spring of 2024. The cost of this valuable land acquisition to water users will be modest. Assuming that the bond will be issued at a 5% interest rate, the Water District’s Treasurer/Collector estimates that the resulting increase in the debt service fee will be $4.28 per billing cycle.
Dr. Parenti is a member of the Town of Acton Water Resource Committee and the Acton Water District Finance Committee
