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Anthony Napolitano
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Platinum Board Member

Posts: 96

Re:Town Farm Dairy Halts Production - 2008/09/05 07:57 Two things I would like to mention:

1) Saturday, Sept 6th, there is a public farm meeting at 10am. The intent is to hear from customers and to present an update on the current status of the farm, and the evolving plans for the future. Anyone who has the time should stop by.

2) If I understand your point, you would like to see the farm return to a true poor farm. That would mean poor folks living there and working on the farm for their "daily bread". That would be fine by me. But, I don't think that is the best use of the land.

The Friends had a good plan which included financial help for the poor, as well as providing them with food. That, in today's society, seems better than asking them to get onto a tractor and make your own food, if they can.

In any event, the farm is at a critical point. I believe that the town would like to see it succeed. The details are still open to discussion.

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DirtyJobsGuy
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Senior Board Member

Posts: 13

Re:Town Farm Dairy Halts Production - 2008/09/15 16:08 My point was not that the land be a "poor farm". Clearly Amos Eno wanted to make a continuing provision for the town's disadvantaged. This is not being provided by a commercial money losing dairy. When he made the gift a poor farm was a self sustaining way to feed, house and employ the poor.

Mary Glassman said she want's the land to remain a farm. Now she's a Lawyer, and should know that the intent of the donor is important not just from a legal sense but a moral one as well. This should not be turned into another issue of open space if it cannot meet the prime objective of aiding the town's disadvantaged. It only took me a few minutes to think of some non-agricultural ways to use the property to meet the donor's intent.

1. Low income housing
2. Commercial space for an organization like Goodwill.
3. Leased for commercial use with the income funding the town's general welfare accounts.

The very fact that so many parties had to be "immunized" by a legal review of the Town Farm Dairy agreement says someting was not on the up and up.

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Anthony Napolitano
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Platinum Board Member

Posts: 96

Re:Town Farm Dairy Halts Production - 2008/09/16 08:10 1. Low income housing --

There is already quite a bit low incoming housing on the farm. I guess putting more there would be nice, as long as it really was low income housing. The Eno Farms debacle could be repeated.

2. Commercial space for an organization like Goodwill. --

I am sure there are many such organizations that would like to have a facility there. The farm is for the poor of Simsbury, so it is a narrow group of people to be served. Would Goodwill limit the benefit to that group? I guess it is possible.

3. Leased for commercial use with the income funding the town's general welfare accounts. --

Well, when you say leased for commercial use, that was what The Friends did. We were a not-for-profit, as well. So, after all the bills were paid, we donated money to Simsbury Social Services, as well as provided food to the poor of Simsbury through the Social Services office. Perhaps another organization might have better luck working for the poor of Simsbury.

The bottom line is that the deed and the trust are major stumbling blocks. The Friends could have done so much more if those were not in place. Any organization that tries to meet the restrictions placed by Eno will find it very hard to comply. That is not to say that it can't be done.

At the moment the town is listening to ideas.

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DirtyJobsGuy
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Senior Board Member

Posts: 13

Re:Town Farm Dairy Halts Production - 2008/09/18 15:58 I looked back at the selectman's meeting minutes from last year on this topic.

Evidently the Friends of the TFD had to become a charity (501C(3)) to fulfull the deed restrictions. It was stated that they would attempt to raise money and if production were sufficient would give away some free or discount products to low income people.

So essentially a charity was created to run operations on the farm, but as the organizers stated salaries would be at market levels so the only benefit to poor people would be the promised charity cheese.

In prior years the land was leased to local farmers and the lease payments used for some worthy purpose, evidently without needing to be charities themselves.

I think the town has to face up to the fact that no sucessfull agricultural operation can be run on the property either to employ poor residents or generate income to benefit the poor.
This does not reflect on the people trying to give it a go as farmers have been leaving Connecticut for greener pastures for over 150 years. To put the current operation on life support with a few cows and a license to only generate pasturized milk is just postponing the inevitable.

It probably would be best to petition the appropriate court (or other entity as required) to amend the deed to recognize the changed face of agriculture in the town and to allow such uses as would generate funds for the benefit of the poor. Given the town's general inability to manage such operations such as the other housing developments and Simsbury meadows, it might even be best to gain permission to sell the property and invest the funds in a welfare trust.

The reason I think this is important is that Simsbury is liable for following the restrictions of the deed. Several Universities have been sucessfully sued to give back money of donors who's wishes were no longer followed. Future donors will be reassured that their deeds of gift were complied with long after they are gone.

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SBspook
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Senior Board Member

Posts: 19

Re:Town Farm Dairy Halts Production - 2008/09/23 13:02 What's disadvantaged mean in Simsbury?

- A 3-year old BMW or Mercedes, instead of a new one?
- An SUV that one can not afford to put gas in?
- A Cell phone without email & internet access?
- An MP3 player other than an ipod?

As for a use for the space? Why not a big-box type farm store like a Stew Leonard's?

Mary G. continues to prove that she is the Town Idiot. Lot's of stupid sound bites and no action. And her sidekick Mr. John "bobble head" Hampton has no clue.

So Mr. Dirty Jobs... You seem to have all the answers. Why not take an active role in town and fix things? Why not run for office, or raise some money and invest in Simsbury?

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