Deerfield Farm Lease Discussion Turns to Flies

Lease negotiations involving Durham's Deerfield Farm took an interesting turn at Monday night's Board of Selectmen meeting when it was recommended that a 20-foot property buffer be included in the agreement to address previous complaints about flies.

The provision was suggested by First Selectman Laura Francis who said that although she hadn't received a complaint last year, a neighbor living next to the farm located on the corner of Parmelee Hill and Pent roads had in the past complained about flies coming from the property.

"I'm just looking to mitigate risk," Francis said. "If I could put something inside of a lease contract that would help reduce or eliminate future problems I think I want to take that opportunity."

But Deerfield Farm owner Melynda Naples and several others at the meeting, including agriculture commission members Fred Mastele and Warren Herzig, felt the buffer was not only unnecessary but might set a precendent for future land disputes.

"First of all, we're dealing with a problem that hasn't been proven that it's coming from the farm," Naples said. "Should it be the farm and the excessive nusiance, 20 feet is not going to solve it.

"It gives another neighbor an opening to say, 'Hey, I don't want this horse paddock next to my lawn,'" she said.

Mastele said that Naples was following generally accepted agricultural practices and that other factors such as a nearby pond and wetlands area may be contributing to increased activity among flies.

"The flies don't know the barriers," he said.

Francis added that a complaint from the same neighbor about well contamination caused by the farm proved to be unconfirmed.

The town's conservation commission has spent the better part of the past year working on a new lease agreement with Naples, who rents the town owned property and raises dairy cattle there.

No decision on the lease was made at the meeting.

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