adams farm

April 18, 2003

State expert supports deer hunt

By Tom Glynn
Staff writer

The state Division of Fisheries and Wildlife’s deer expert outlined to selectmen Tuesday night why the board should support a bow hunting season on town property.

Bill Woytek, the division’s deer and moose biologist, estimated that there are as many as 270 deer in Walpole, almost 200 more than there should be for a town with nine square miles of woods.

When there are more than 20 deer per square mile, their browsing destroys woodland and cuts deeply into other wildlife populations, especially songbirds, he said.

Deer overpopulation heightens the risk of Lyme disease and increases collisions and landscape damage, Woytek said.

The deer population can be reduced gradually by sustained hunting over the years. But once started, a program has to continue, he said. Otherwise the population would rebound quickly, he said.

An article to allow bow hunting is on the May 5 Town Meeting warrant, sponsored by the Adams Farm Committee.

John Spillane, Walpole’s animal control officer, explained to selectmen how the program would be run.

Bow hunting would be allowed only on Adams Farm and in the section of the Town Forest between Washington Street and Route 1.

Hunting could only be authorized in the weeks permitted by the state. The state’s six-week bow season begins in mid-October. But the state also permits bow hunting during the firearm season, which runs through December. Spillane said Walpole could limit the season to the state’s six-week, bows-only season.

Bow hunting on town property would require a permit from Spillane. Permits, valid for two weeks or so, would specify the location and be issued only to experienced bow hunters with state bow stamps on their licenses, he said.

The town would not charge for the permits, because state law says property owners who allow recreational use of their land face no liabilities, provided they do not charge for the privilege.

Spillane said he would expect to have half a dozen permits out on any given day during the season at Adams Farm.

The areas with permits would be posted to advise other users of the land.

Spillane said the permits would require hunters to shoot only from tree stands and no closer than 50 yards to any trail used by people. Shooting downward limits the range and sends the arrow into a solid backstop: the ground, he said.

Police Chief Richard Stillman, would oversee the program. "It would be easy to say (the issue) is controversial, so stay away from it," he said at the Tuesday meeting.

But there is a real problem, and the warrant article offers "a responsible way to cull the herd," he said.

Woytek said the only injury from bow hunting he knows of happened when a hunter fell from a tree. But there have been two people killed in car-deer collisions in the state since 1995, he said.

Spillane said there have been 33 deer killed by car collisions in town since the fall, and four or five by coyotes.

That number of deer killed by cars is twice the number taken by hunters in Walpole in the 2002 season, Woytek said.

In an area of New Jersey without hunting, the deer population has reached 400 a square mile, he said. On Nantucket, additional hunts were authorized in response to widespread Lyme disease, he said.

Contrary to what might be expected, the biggest and fastest growing populations in Massachusetts are in the built-up eastern section, he said, adding that other suburbs are pondering a response.

He praised Walpole officials for being "pro-active."

There are no practical alternatives to hunting for controlling the deer population, he said.

Contraception would require inoculating each female deer once a year, he said, a time-consuming and expensive effort.

June 7, 2002

Voters oppose Adams Farm golf course

By Brian DeCesare
Staff writer

By a margin of 3,255 to 2,147, voters Saturday said they don’t want to utilize a portion of Adams Farm for a municipal golf course.

The golf course study committee was charged more than a year ago with exploring potential sites in town for a municipal course.

When the committee came up with town-owned Adams Farm as its preferred site, selectmen decided to put the idea before voters to see whether it is worth further exploration.

Ted Lynch, chairman of the golf course committee, said he was first surprised that voters turned down the idea by such a large margin.

But after digesting the numbers, he said, he realized voters didn’t have enough information on the matter – but he doesn’t blame his own committee.

"We could have gone out and mounted a campaign as if we were running for election ourselves," Lynch said. "I don’t think that was our charge."

What really bothers him, he said, is the cynicism and misinformation on the issue. For example, Lynch said, he overheard people saying that the town would mismanage a golf course at Adams Farm, or that there would be lost species.

Lynch credited Ralph Knobel, Jack Wiley and Cliff Snuffer for handling themselves well during the election. Lynch said they were the legitimate opponents of the golf course – all of whom want to see Adams Farm preserved for the right reasons, he said.

Lynch said his committee plans to meet next week to prepare a final report to selectmen in the near future.

In the meantime, he said, his committee will continue to support the Brownfields Committee’s effort to explore the potential for a golf course or a golf training facility on parcels along Route 1A.

"We will be a resource to the Brownfields Committee," Lynch said.

March, 2002

Golf committee meets with FinCom

By Tom Glynn
Staff writer

Town money should not be spent to study the possibility of a golf course at Adams Farm unless a majority of voters say they like the idea, several officials said this week.

Spending money should be contingent on getting an affirmative vote on the June ballot, Town Administrator Michael Boynton told the finance committee Monday night. No one on the FinCom or a golf course study committee disagreed with him.

Noting "tight times," Boynton said the timing is bad for a Town Meeting vote on study money in May. He invited private interests, "maybe an anonymous benefactor," to step up with the money for a feasibility study, which, according to the golf committee, could be $10,000 to $15,000.

The golf course study committee, appointed by selectmen two years ago, is asking the May Town Meeting for money to hire a professional to "ballpark" what the project would cost. Selectmen, who have placed a non-binding referendum on the June ballot to get voter input, recommended weeks ago against approving money for a feasibility study in May.

Golf course committee members told the FinCom Monday night that the selectmen’s "no action" recommendation is not a serious setback.

Ted Lynch of the golf committee said "no action" means that efforts to create the course can continue without prejudice.

Selectman John Hill told the FinCom that he and his colleagues voted "no action" to keep the horse before the cart. It would not make sense, he said, to spend study money if it turns out voters do not want to build a golf course on Adams Farm.

The choice of the town-owned farm as the site prompted some questions from the FinCom and those in attendance.

Cliff Snuffer, who early championed town acquisition of the farm, said it should be preserved. Payment on the debt, now about $700,000 a year, will get smaller and reach zero in not too many years, he said in response to the argument that revenue from a course would offset part of the purchase payments.

FinCom member Ralph Knobel urged the golf committee to take another look at Goldie’s auto salvage yard on Route 1A as a site. The golf committee ruled that area out because of acquisition and potential cleanup costs.

In response to questions from the FinCom, Conservation Commissioner Jack Wiley estimated that something over 100 of the farm’s 300 acres is protected conservation land. FinCom members noted such land is not available for active recreation, which, Wiley said, includes golf.

According to estimates Monday night, the amount of land at the farm that could be used for golf and the amount required for an 18-hole course are roughly equal.

A course would not necessarily take all the farm’s non-conservation acreage. Lynch, of the golf committee, said.

The golf committee presented the FinCom with a brief analysis of the farm site by a golf architect and with some financial estimates.

According to architect Marvin Armstrong, Adams Farm offers better than average soil conditions and wetland/upland ratio. "The aesthetics of the property are superior, potentially offering a very nice combination of open ‘links’ style holes and tree-lined ‘parkland’ type holes."

Armstrong walked the site last year at the request of the committee at no charge.

"The interest in maintaining the site’s environmental and cultural resources will likely provide a uniquely marketable character," he wrote. "Golfers everywhere love to casually observe the wildlife and somewhat natural character of the courses they play. Many of these golfing citizens wouldn’t otherwise enjoy these valuable quality of life experiences."

Armstrong suggested that parking and a clubhouse be located well into the site, beyond the fields that front on North Street.

Armstrong estimated it would cost between $3.5 and $4.6 million to build the course.

According to the golf committee’s analysis, the course would start making a steady and growing profit for the town in its third year, and by its fifth year would be clearing $280,000.

Those estimates are based on fees ranging from $25 for 18 holes on a weekday for Walpole residents in the first year to $50 for a weekend round for non-residents in the fifth year.

Food revenue is based on hot dogs and tonic sold from a shack, the committee said. Its plan does not call for a restaurant, although that option could be pursued by the town, members said.

Boynton noted that the town’s capacity to take on more debt in the next year or two is fully committed, notably for capping the Lincoln Road landfill. FinCom member May Ann Boragine pointed out that under the golf committee’s estimate, there would be an initial shortfall on the operating side.

The golf committee presented a professional analysis done for the Town of Norfolk last year when it was considering a public golf course.

Based on that study and their own research, committee members said there is a demand in the region for several more public courses.

The availability of the Norfolk study means that Walpole would not have to spend money on an economic analysis, golf committee members said. The $10,000 to $15,000 for a study of the specific site is about half what the committee had planned on requesting at Town Meeting.

The FinCom will probably not decide what recommendation to make to Town Meeting on the feasibility study for several more weeks, Chairman Al DeNapoli told the golf committee.

Feb. 22, 2002

Adams Farm golf course idea to go on ballot

By Brian DeCesare
Staff writer

Selectmen will poll voters to see whether they’re in favor of using Adams Farm to develop an 18-hole municipally owned golf course.

Following a presentation from the golf course study committee Tuesday night, selectmen authorized Town Administrator Michael Boynton to draft a non-binding question to be placed on the June 1 ballot.

A spring Town Meeting article submitted by the golf course committee would appropriate $25,000 for a feasibility study. The committee said the study would help the town get a handle on the costs and benefits of the project.

Selectmen voted Tuesday night to recommend Town Meeting take no action on the article until it is determined whether residents want a golf course at Adams Farm.

Boynton supported the board’s vote by noting that he would be hard-pressed to find any money in the budget to cover the $25,000.

According to Jonathan Williams, chairman of the golf course study committee, Adams Farm is the only realistic location in town at which to develop an 18-hole course.

Other sites, including private property along the southern end of Main Street, don’t have enough acreage and require land taking and site cleanup, Williams said.

Furthermore, he said, the other potential sites sit atop the town’s aquifer, whereas Adams Farm has its own aquifer.

Selectman Alan Rockwood said any use of Adams Farm should be left up to voters – especially since they’re the owners of the North Walpole property.

A golf course is worth pursuing if it’s going to be a moneymaker for the town, he said. "I think it’s worthy of a proposal."

Selectman Susan Maguire disagreed.

"Perhaps some towns make money," she said, "but I certainly don’t think Adams Farm was what anybody intended to be a golf course."

Rockwood, however, said that everybody who voted for the purchase in 1997 had motivations of their own.

"I voted for it just so there wouldn’t be any houses up there," Rockwood said.

Williams, of the golf course study committee, said another motivation for the purchase was to see what uses the town could have for Adams Farm.

"I don’t subscribe to that at all," Maguire responded.

Ralph Knobel, chairman of the Adams Farm Committee, said Tuesday night he’s disappointed that the golf course committee could only come up with one site.

He said the town could kill two birds with one stone by putting a golf course on the land along the southern end of Main Street that’s in dire need of cleanup.

"It’s a situation that’s been lingering for years," Knobel said.

Maguire agreed, adding that the area is a brownfields candidate.

Selectman Judy Conroy said the non-binding ballot question should be more general and not focus solely on a golf course.

Conroy noted that the recreation committee has wanted to build athletic fields at Adams Farm for years.

The rest of the board felt it was best to address the potential uses of Adams Farm on a case-by-case basis and focus on the golf course for the June election.

June 29, 2001

Reaction is guarded to proposed Adams Farm golf course

By Brian DeCesare
Staff writer

Reaction to a proposed 18-hole municipal golf course that would use between 150 to 200 acres of Adams Farm is guarded.

After examining the finances of other municipal links and looking throughout town for an appropriate site, the newly formed golf course study committee told selectmen last week that the project could be a moneymaker for the town.

Plus, the Adams Farm frontlands along North Street could remain in their current state, the committee told selectmen. The course could be developed toward the back of the acreage, the committee said.

Still, the contents of the proposal may not satisfy the many Adams Farm supporters.

North Street resident Mark Reilly, who spoke out against a proposed tennis and swimming club on his street last year, said an increase in traffic remains his top concern. (Michael Viano eventually withdrew his plans for the club amidst neighbor opposition.)

Reilly noted that North Street is narrow and meandering and doesn’t allow for a heavy stream of traffic. And, he said, there are no sidewalks along the roadway.

He recalled a serious car accident a few years ago involving a North Street resident backing out of her driveway, across from the entrance to Adams Farm.

In addition, Reilly said voters were assured when they purchased Adams Farm in 1997 that the land was to remain open space.

"Golf courses are nice…I play golf," he said. "But they’re not natural."

Furthermore, he said, he’s unsure what the demand for golf is going to be years from now as other area courses continue to come on-line.

"I think there are a lot of issues here," he said. "Personally, I would keep an open mind, but my initial concern is traffic."

Viano said, as a Fisher Street resident and Precinct 7 Town Meeting representative, he’d be willing to listen to any golf course proposal as long as the meadows along North Street remain intact.

"There ought to be enough land up there that (the frontlands) can stay as is," Viano said. "Any reasonable proposal, I think the town should consider."

Jack Wiley, chairman of the Adams Farm Committee, said the decision whether to develop a golf course should be left up to the voters.

The response he has gotten from residents at open meetings in the past has been to keep Adams Farm in its present state, Wiley said.

"I’m sure this will set off another round of discussions," he said of the golf course proposal. "There are a lot of people who like to golf."

Selectmen Chairman William Ryan said last week that before his board made a decision it would put it before townspeople as a ballot referendum.

In the meantime, selectmen have authorized the committee to have a professional designer walk the property, at no cost to the town, to come up with preliminary ideas.

According to members of the golf course committee, there are very few quality public golf courses in the surrounding towns. The nearby private clubs are all oversubscribed, the committee said.

The committee was not enthusiastic about a proposal from the health board to create a 9-hole golf course utilizing a brownfields site and adjacent automotive property along Route 1A, south of the town center.

That proposal could involve considerable cost in dealing with hazardous materials, the committee said.

Adams Farm became the center of a battle between its supporters and the recreation committee last summer.

Complaining about a lack of ball fields in town, the recreation committee pushed for two multi-purpose athletic fields and a softball field to be created along both sides of North Street. The Adams Farm Committee stressed that the voters spoke volumes when they purchased the land as open space in 1997.