Gary Forish, past Noble View chair, had the idea
that we could generate funding for building a bath house and renovating
some of our buildings by selling a conservation restriction.
Several years of effort and an extraordinary partnership between the
Commonwealth of Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and
Environmental Affairs, Russell Select Board, Planning Commission,
Conservation Commission, Springfield Water Commission, Winding River
Land Conservancy, Pioneer Valley Planning Commission, and AMC staff and
volunteers culminated in the closing of the conservation restriction on
May 24, 2008. The conservation restriction permanently protects
most of Noble View’s
358.5 acres from development, and it generated $675,000 in funding to
the AMC.
In December, 2007, the Executive Office of Energy
and
Environmental announced the award of a Self-Help Grant of $472,500 to
the Town of Russell. Russell’s share of the $675,000 cost of the
conservation restriction was completely funded by the Self-Help Grant
award; Russell incurred no out-of-pocket cost. The balance of the
conservation restriction was funded by the Springfield Water Commission.
We express our deep gratitude to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts
Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs and the
Springfield Water Commission; the people of the Town of Russell and the
Russell Select Board, Planning Commission, Conservation Commission;
Winding River Land Conservancy, Pioneer Valley Planning Commission, and
AMC staff members Roger Scholl, Paul Cunha, and Joe Carper.
Many thanks
especially to Gary Forish, whose idea this was, and whose commitment
and perseverance is largely responsible for producing these fantastic
results.
Together, we’ve achieved:
- The permanent protection and preservation of the open space
at Noble View through a conservation restriction.
- The permanent protection of that part of Noble View that
lies within the Springfield Water Commission’s watershed.
- Funding for ongoing renovations at Noble View.
