Agricultural Lands at Thompson’s Point Spark Debate
by Nancy Wood,
April 21, 2011, page 4.....

On April 12 the Town issued a request for proposals (RFP) for agricultural leases on town-owned parcels including 20 acres of the former Burns parcel on Greenbush Road and approximately 54 acres on Thompson’s Point.
The deadline for submission is today, April 21, at 4 p.m.
Information required to be in the proposals includes preference for the parcels to be leased, duration of lease and payment offered, as well as types of crops to be planted, plan for rotation of crops, livestock grazing practices, types of fertilizers and pesticides that might be used and requirements for water, fences and farm structures. Other questions include compatibility with public activity in the area, and willingness to mow on a schedule that encourages grassland birds.
The Selectboard approved the issuance of the RFP after lengthy discussion at the April 11 board meeting, and according to Dean Bloch, Selectboard assistant, the expected distribution list was small.
Questions were raised at the meeting about issuing the RFP before there is public consensus about appropriate uses of these lands.
Jenny Cole said that the Thompson’s Point land is such a “great piece of land owned by the town,” with camps, wildlife and public land. She said it deserved a big effort by the town with an open and inclusive process, including the leaseholders at Thompson’s Point, to inventory the resources and plan for its use. She said the current practice of brush-hogging the land to keep it open, rather than leasing to a farmer, is not expensive if it is to be preserved for public use.
Representatives of Thompson’s Point leaseholders also attended the meeting, including David Conard, president of the Thompson’s Point Leaseholders Association, Jim Foster, a past president, Erich Finley, superintendent of the Thompson’s Point Association (TPA), and leaseholders Rick Pete and Richard Tonino.
Pete urged the board to establish criteria and goals for the property. He said he’d like to work with one of the farmers and the leaseholders at Thompson’s Point to develop a plan, and suggested the need for the Thompson’s Point lands to be considered in the context of all town lands. (See article on next page for additional information.)
Pete reminded the Selectboard that there is a legal question about what land is leased by the TPA. He said the lease lists Deer Point Road as the eastern boundary, and questioned including that land in the RFP.
David Conard suggested two possible approaches: a working group “to triage issues” such as the legal questions, and a “bigger scope” approach similar to what Cole outlined that would include planning and inventory for the long-term.
Selectboard member Winslow Ladue said he understood that the parcels on the map with the RFP were lands maintained by the Town in the past, and that there was an agreement between the Town and the TPA that designates a hedgerow as the demarcation of the lease. Board chair Charles Russell agreed that there had been a motion at a Selectboard meeting in the past to put that in the lease, but it was never done.
Erich said that defining and clarifying questions that have come up over six years should happen before something like this RFP goes out. He said the biggest issue is the Whiskey Bay access, where there is lack of clarity about public versus private leaseholder rights. The rules for use, boundaries of the beach and parking areas are not defined.
Richard Tonino leases a lot next to the Whiskey Bay access. He said that dogs are a serious issue, and he personally has arranged for the poop bags and disposal that are available at the beach. He questioned why people are allowed to let their dogs run free on the beach and not clean up after them. Tonino also has a problem with having a dock at his lot, as the public feels free to use it.
Russell clarified that the Town does not have a leash law, but does require that dogs must be under the control of the owner at all times.
The Selectboard agreed to establish a small working group to address the legal issues, including Charles Russell, David Conard, Jim Foster and Dean Bloch.

Other Action by the Selectboard at the April 11 Meeting
- The Motor Vehicle and Traffic Regulation Ordinance was amended to set speed limits at 30 mph on Hinesburg Road between Church Hill and Mt. Philo Roads, and 35 mph on Greenbush Road from near the Old Lantern south to approximately the Mack Farm.
- Authorized a request to the CCMPO for a traffic study for Greenbush Road to the end of Thompson’s Point Road to potentially reduce the speed limit below the current 45 mph.
- Agreed to participate in the High Risk Rural Roads Program for Spear Street and Mt. Philo Roads.
- Reappointed Josh Flore as First Constable.
- Approved an additional affordable housing construction grant of $10,000 to Nancy Sabin for a second apartment at 2346 Greenbush Road.
- Approved an agricultural lease to Nordic Holstein, LLC, on the former Galbreath property at the intersection of Route 7 (at the top of the hill) with Church Hill Road.
- Reappointed David Pill to the Energy Committee for a two-year term.
- Renewed the tobacco sales and second class liquor license for the Little Garden Market.