Warwick preserves Black Dirt farm
By Birgit Bogler WARWICK The Town of Warwick and the Open Space Institute have purchased the Hampton Hills Farm, a 122-acre farm in Warwicks famous Black Dirt region.
We are partnering with OSI 50/50 on the purchase of the development rights using money from the Community Preservation Fund, Town Supervisor Michael Sweeton said, who added that $414,000 in community preservation funds is being used in the purchase.
With this acquisition, Warwick has preserved just over 3,000 acres.
The farm had been on the towns PDR (Purchase of Development Rights) list for several years. A few years ago it had even been submitted for development. A land broker who was trying to sell the farm contacted Open Space Institute to see if the preservation group was interested.
OSI officials were and they called the town for information about the farm. Preservation of Hampton Hills only took about eight months.
When they offered to partner with us again we viewed this as a way to leverage our funds on a farm already on our list, said Sweeton, who had worked with OSI on similar projects.
Steve Myruski, an adjacent farmer whose land is also in the PDR, currently farms the Hampton Hills Farm.
It being next to a PDR farm and close to the Miller Farm in the PDR will help sustain farming in that area and help keep our farm economy viable, said Sweeton.
Last fall, the supervisor and state Agriculture & Markets Commissioner Darrel J. Aubertine toured Myruskis Farm because of how well run it is.
Having the ability for Steve to continue to crop on the Hampton Hills Farm instead of seeing it go to houses will only bolster that operation, said Sweeton.