A surprisingly fervent discussion on Monday night over creating new community gardens on city-owned farmland illustrated a growing division between longtime Concord politicians and newcomers to the City Council.
While debates over mask mandates or the naming of Indigenous Peoples’ Day have brought passionate disagreements to Council Chambers, the 15-member body has often voted in lockstep on everyday issues of government.
The exception to the consensus, until recently, was Ward 10 Councilor Zandra Rice Hawkins, who found herself on the lonely end of votes on issues like pushing for a more comprehensive review of Concord Police Department policies. Lately, Rice Hawkins has been joined by newly elected Ward 5 Councilor Stacey Brown, who has challenged city priorities on parks and recreation funding. Amid her questions, councilors have considered changes to the city’s ethics ordinance that would limit her say over city matters. If changes are approved, Brown would be barred from voting on the contracts and compensation of city employees, including City Manager Tom Aspell, because her husband is a Concord police detective.
At their regular meeting on Monday, city councilors spent nearly an hour discussing the future of 65 acres of the Gully Hill Road property, which sits between Loudon Road and Manchester Street along the eastern bank of the Merrimack River.
Concord acquired the full 114-acre property in stages between 2007 and 2012. Past council committees considered granting an easement to the Society of New Hampshire Forests to manage the full parcel, but instead opted to grant short-term leases to commercial farming tenants.
Sloping Acres Farm uses 65 acres of the site to grow feed for its dairy operation and its current 3-year lease expires at the end of December.
Ward 5 Councilor Brown, Ward 3 Councilor Jennifer Kretovic and Ward 9 Councilor Candace Bouchard met twice in March as members of an ad-hoc committee charged with reviewing the use of the land.
Bouchard and Kretovic, who made up the majority, recommended in the ad-hoc committee’s report that the council offer Sloping Acres Farms a new five-year lease with four five-year renewals. The report also recommended that the city explore installing educational signage and a partnership to create a bird-watching observation deck above the property, but did not endorse community gardening there.
On Monday, Brown brought the committee’s report before the whole council, arguing that a request for proposals should include a clause allowing the city to use two to four acres of land to create community gardens. She said the Organization for Refugee and Immigrant Success had expressed interest in making some of the land available for New American families.
“This is an opportunity for us to really consider other opportunities, other options that can bring our community together,” Brown said. “Public transportation is accessible at that site, it’s a mile away from a lot of our residents who might not have access to green space and green space is so important.”
Kretovic, who is the committee chair, said the property was some of the state’s most valuable agricultural land, and that farmers had told the committee that longer leases were necessary to improve the soil’s quality.
“We’re talking about cutting off our own dairy supply in the city,” Kretovic said. “The most important thing that we heard from the farming community is that we are the stewards of this land – we, the city, and we’re not doing a good job.”
Bouchard added that the pandemic had illustrated that supply chains can quickly shift. She said keeping the land as farmland was a safe bet for the city, as well as a source of pride for Concord residents who drink local Hood Milk products.
Other councilors weighed in on the potential impact of community gardeners on the neighboring farmland, including the use of pesticides.
Brown said Concord Conservation Commission Chair Kristine Tardiff told her that the city historically posted requests for proposals for similar properties, rather than simply offering an existing tenant a new lease, as the committee’s report suggested.
Mayor Jim Bouley agreed that a competitive bidding process was necessary. He also said that while the Conservation Commission had previously discussed the importance of maintaining agricultural land on the property, the commission had met improperly to discuss the matter on April 7.
“This past Thursday, April 7, there was an illegal meeting, because it was not properly noticed correctly,” Bouley said. He suggested that the Conservation Commission discuss the issue at its April 13 meeting, for which public notice was provided in accordance with New Hampshire’s Right to Know Law.
Ward 10 Councilor Zandra Rice Hawkins suggested sending the report to the Transportation Policy Advisory Committee so the committee could examine whether the Gully Hill Road land was in a uniquely accessible location for residents. “I’d recommend we send it to a couple of those other committees for review, and come back to discuss it some more,” Rice Hawkins said.
The council approved a motion by voice vote to refer the report to the Fiscal Policy Advisory Committee, but not the transportation committee.
“This has been a heck of a robust discussion,” Bouley said.
Bouley, who is a partner at lobbying firm Dennehy & Bouley, said state government employees were watching the council’s action on the relatively small plot of farmland.
“I’m amazed that this discussion has risen to the level of folks within state government,” he said.