ALT Withdraws $1.5 Million Offer To Conserve Portsmouth Land

The Aquidneck Land Trust has withdrawn its $1.5 million offer to the town to conserve parts of the Glen Farm, including the Seveney Sports Complex and the former Elmhurst School property. 

"It was with a heavy heart that on Sept. 24, the ALT Board of Trustees voted to withdraw ALT’s offer to the town of Portsmouth to pay $1.5 million for a conservation easement on the Glen Farm (including major portions of Glen Fields/Seveney Sports Complex, Glen Park and Elmhurst School property)," according to a press release from the ALT sent late Friday. 

"While discussions about the conservation easements on the Glen go back many years, the talks on the current proposal began in 2012."

On June 19, 2012, the ALT submitted to the town, for its review, a draft agreement and conservation easement for ALT's proposal to conserve and enhance the Glen. 

The Portsmouth Town Council later rejected this plan, according to the ALT. 

In a letter to the Portsmouth town administrator, dated Oct. 9, ALT Executive Director Charles Allott stated, "While ALT is still firmly committed to pursuing the perpetual conservation of this vital community parkland, in light of the Town Council's recent vote of rejection of our proposal, we do not believe any further discussions regarding alternatives to our current proposal would be fruitful at this point in time." 

Numerous town committees and organizations supported ALT's proposal, including: the Newport County Chamber of Commerce; the Elmhurst Planning Committee; the Portsmouth Open Space Committee; the Glen Park Working Authority; the Glen Manor House Authority; the Portsmouth Conservation Commission; the Lower Glen Farm Preservation Committee; the Agriculture Committee; Preserve Portsmouth; Friends of the Glen Manor House; the Aquidneck Island Planning Commission; Portsmouth Youth Soccer Association; Portsmouth Youth Lacrosse; Portsmouth Youth Sailing; Friends of the Brown House; the Portsmouth Historical Society; and the Portsmouth Garden Club.

"ALT would like to thank the town council, Portsmouth Open Space Committee and all the various supporting committees and groups for all of their efforts in trying to forge a council consensus to match what ALT believes was the community–wide consensus towards the perpetual conservation of this vital community asset, according to the release. "It is nice to know that we have conservation- minded supporters in Portsmouth."
 
The ALT has conserved 2,429.60 acres on 69 properties across Aquidneck Island since its founding in 1990. ALT is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, and the first land trust in Rhode Island to have received national accreditation.