By Alex Malm
During the monday night, July 11, meeting of the Town Council, a public hearing was held on the potential purchase of the Lithia Springs property along Route 102.
It was explained by Town Manager, Mike Malaguti, that the town is looking into acquiring 54 acres of land along Nashua Rd., towards the Hudson line.
He said that it used to be the home of the Lithia Springs Water Company.
Adding that, “It is since long gone.”
Malaguti said that before they could go forward with the $1.5 million deal it needed to get approval by the Conservation Commission, which it did.
They also need to receive approval by the Town Council and the appraisal amount needed to be no less than the cost of the purchase agreement.
“That’s why we’re here tonight,” said Malaguti.
Malaguti said that they have a safeguard because if they can’t find the funds then they can back out of the agreement.
Malaguti said that the Conservation Commission currently has around $750,000 in their land acquisition fund and that they are hopeful that they will be able to increase that amount.
He stated that they are hopeful that they will be able to be awarded different grants that they applied for or will be applying for in order to purchase the property. Malaguti said there appears to be a lot of interest in the purchasing of the property.
It was explained by Conservation Commission member, Mike Speltz, that by obtaining the property it would help to protect their drinking water and help to protect wildlife.
Speltz said that the property has a long history in Londonderry.
“Lithus Spring is a part of Londonderry’s history. This was an important part of Londonderry for 40, or 50 years,” said Speltz.
One resident who spoke during the meeting was John Wilson, who said that he doesn’t think it is a great investment to buy properties that have wetlands and can’t be developed because they are already protected.
“The State will protect it,” said Wilson.
Town Council Chairman, John Farrell, asked that they have a GIS calculation done to determine what is buildable and what isn’t.
“That would help me to make a decision,” said Farrell
Malaguti said that they have until Dec. 31 to close on it, but said that he was able to negotiate favorable terms which allows for reasonable extensions of time if needed. The deadline for the Town Council to make a decision is Aug. 31.
“That gives us some flexibility here,” said Malaguti.
Malaguti said that one of the advantages of waiting a little bit longer is that they will be able to find out what the appraisal is, which will give a better indication of what can be built there.
Town Councilor, Jim Butler, said it made sense to get more information before making a decision.
“I just think we need to do due diligence,” said Butler.
The Town Council voted to continue the public hearing to Aug. 15.