Petition Supports 'Closing Gap' In Manchester Open Space Purchase

MANCHESTER, CT — A petition is being circulated urging officials in Manchester to use municipal open space funding to cover any final balance for the purchase of the Lombardo Farm property.

The petition is located at Change.org.

"We, the undersigned residents of Manchester, Connecticut, respectfully request that the Manchester Board of Directors consider our position to utilize available and additional open space funding to close the funding gap the Manchester Land Trust has in purchasing the Lombardo property in order to preserve this vital ecological resource for the enjoyment of Manchester residents.

"In addition to preserving valuable undeveloped land, this property will benefit all Manchester residents by providing more access to passive recreational opportunities such as hiking, cross-country skiing, bird-watching, picnicking, as well as other uses."

The Manchester Land Trust is trying to raise the necessary funds to purchase the 102-acre Lombardo Farm, which sits at Hillstown and Bush Hill roads.

There is $1.2 million in the bank. The Manchester Board of Directors has already approved using $900,000 from a four-year-old, $4 million open space and historic assets preservation fund. That's $100,000 shy of what the trust requested. The state's Open Space and Watershed Land Acquisition Program, which is administered by the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection and assists local governments, land trusts, and water companies in purchasing land to protect open space, added $300,000.

The asking price is $1.7 million leaving the trust with $500,000 to raise. The trust is working with a June 30 deadline.

Fundraising information can be found on the trust's website.

One petition signer said it spreads the wealth in Manchester.

"Manchester has enough developed space and it's crucial at this point to preserve as much open, undisturbed space as possible for the benefit of the wildlife that lives there as well as the future generations of Manchester families to enjoy," she said.

Information on the farm can be found on the trust's website (www.manchesterlandtrust.org) and at ( LombardoBrochure1.25.21.pdf (manchesterlandtrust.org).

The purchase would add the former pig farm's 102 acres to the Bush Hill Preserve. A part of the preserve known as the Botti Farm was purchased with the help of a 2016 OSWA grant.

Lombardo Farm is completely surrounded by open space and would allow for passive recreation with the construction of trails connecting to the Bush Hill Preserve.

Access would be available along the property's 2,000 feet of frontage on Hillstown Road.

A mature forest and a small spring-fed pond provide wildlife habitat. An open meadow provides habitat for migrating birds and pollinator species.

The towns of Manchester, East Hartford, and Glastonbury are within a short distance of the site.