At the Windham Town Council meeting Tuesday night, councilors discussed the possibility of buying a centrally located 23-acre lot for future development.

The land is located next to the rotary on Route 202 and abuts the Smith Cemetery. Both the 23-acre lot and a house on 2.5 acres are for sale by private citizen Lynne Morrell. The council is considering buying the 23 acres at a cost of $400,000.

“This is exactly the kind of opportunity that, since I started in 1996, the council has been on the watch for,” Town Manager Anthony Plante said, adding “We were able to work with the property owner to reach an agreement. The way we are proposing to fund this is through land and building carry-over funds.”

Plante went to explain that, over the last three years, $70,000 has been included in the town’s budget for land improvements such as “land acquisition or repair and renovation of existing facilities.” This money has accumulated to create a capital reserve of $210,000. The other $190,000 needed to purchase the property would come from a redistribution of funds that have been budgeted for proposed building projects. Leftover money from building projects that have already been completed will also help fund the purchase.

Each councilor voiced an opinion on the perspective purchase at the meeting. David Ennis spoke in favor of the purchase. He said municipal facilities are under an impending “space crunch” that continues to worsen every year because there has been “no space and no opportunity to expand.” He went on to say that the council would be “foolish not to consider this opportunity.”

Councilors Wisecup and Shaughnessy agreed with Ennis, speculating on possible uses for the land and emphasizing that this opportunity may not arise again. Councilor Bartell, however, urged caution.

“I don’t disagree with the argument. I understand the opportunity. When we look at the funding for this and cobble together the $400,000, I think about what else we could do with that $400,000,” Bartell said.

He argued that such funds might be better spent on the repair of municipal facilities like the Windham Public Safety building on Route 202.

Chairman Robert Muir agreed with Bartell’s sentiment and said that needed renovations could be budgeted for in the future, but it was important to purchase this 23-acre parcel of open land before someone else does.

“I think we may be able to do both, but the problem with the land is time critical,” Muir said.

The councilors have no specific plans as to what they will do with the land. The Council has talked about an expansion of the Smith Cemetery. The cemetery currently has no available lots and with Windham’s growth, more grave plots are becoming a necessity.

Councilors also cited the construction of new municipal facilities on the lot as a possibility. The contract under discussion does not bind the council to use the land if purchased. If the land were purchased and left unused, future councils could sell the property. However, due to its location in a current farm zone, the land could not be used for commercial purposes.

The council will discuss the land purchase again at next Tuesday’s meeting, at which time the councilors will vote to approve the purchase.

This 23-acre lot, seen here from the Smith Cemetery, is for sale in Windham. The Windham Town Council is considering purchasing this land for future development such as an expansion of the cemetery.