Pond located on school site
By:Jeff Mikalaitis
MANSFIELD -The Township Committee has agreed to take responsibility for the management of the stormwater detention basin at the Landview at Millington development.
The developer will be donating 30 acres of land, which has been selected as the future site of the township’s new elementary school.
This action will allow the Planing Board to consider the final set of plans for the development.
The developer will then be able to transfer the land to the township, which would then transfer it to the school board.
The 30 acres is part of an open space requirement because of a cluster ordinance which allows units to be built closer together, but requires an open space donation.
Planning Board Chairman Joseph Lawrence said the development was supposed to have 49 units, but the state Department of Environmental protection counted the 30 acres as an additional unit which would bring the total to 50 units.
That would require the development to have city sewer and water. As a result, the developer decided to build 47 units, which would have on-site water wells and septic.
The developer asked the township to take over the management of the storm water detention basin in consideration for the loss of the economic value of the unit.
The school is set to open in September 2003. It will house students in grades four through six.
The state notified the Mansfield Board of Education that the land transfer must be complete by Sept. 30 to move forward with the development of the site.
Mayor Kelly Shea said it is the habit of the township to take over management of infrastructure. However, he added this is unusual because of the size of the site, which is one acre.
He said the site would require mowing at least twice a year.
He also said there may be the possibility of additional improvements to the site five or 10 years down the road.
Deputy Mayor Dalpat Patel said when assuming additional responsibilities, the committee must always look at the cause.
"This is a very important cause, for school children," he said.
As a condition of the approval, the committee agreed it would reach an agreement with the school board on sharing labor for the maintenance of the site.