Selectmen Approve 5-Year Lease of Deerfield Farm

Durham selectman have approved a new 5-year lease agreement with Deerfield Farm.

Negotiation of the lease between the dairy farm that sits atop the corner of Pent and Parmelee Hill roads and the town's conservation commission began last year and at Monday night's Board of Selectmen meeting two key provisions of the agreement were discussed and debated at length before selectmen voted 2-1 in favor of the lease.

Selectman Steve Levy voted in opposition to the lease only after his attempt to amend the agreement to allow for a 7-year lease of the property was voted down by First Selectman Laura Francis and selectman John Szewczyk.

"I'm uncomfortable with not agreeing with our commission," said Levy, noting that commission members had recommended extending the lease by two years.

"I think that seven years is too short of time to really think that a family farm is fulfilling of the definition of a family farm. I know this is not their land, it's our land but I think the longer the term, the better," Levy said.

Members of the commission, which is responsible for negotiating leases of town owned properties, joined Levy in arguing that a longer lease would give more flexibility to Deerfield Farm owner Melynda Naples to apply for grants.

Francis, who agreed the grants would be valuable to both Naples and the town, said the town was not responsible for the farm's business model and felt that the 5-year lease would protect the town in the event that public sentiment towards the property changed.

"I've received emails from people wondering why we didn't go out to bid," she said. "This is a commodity, this is a town asset. There could be a time where we get pressure to get more money out if this property. We're not there right now but the longer we incumber the property with a lease the least amount of time we'll have to have that conversation."

Naples has managed the farm since 2004, selling dairy products such as milk, cheese and yogurt while paying rent to the town.

Conservation commission member William Ward opposed a second provision that would have required a 20-foot property buffer previously recommended by Francis, who said she'd received complaints by a neighbor about flies coming from the farm.

Ward said the commission worried that specific language in the provision could lead to a dispute between "friendly neighbors" and might prove costly to the town if a survey were required or a fence needed to be moved.

Although she initially supported the buffer, Francis agreed with Ward's assessment and selectmen voted 3-0 to eliminate the provision from the lease.

Francis said she hoped to involve the conservation and agriculture commissions in future disputes involving the property, if they were to arise.

Agriculture commission member Dick Porter used the opportunity to raise his concern about the property's driveway.

"We should be ashamed at the condition that the driveway is in. That driveway has been a disaster," he said. "I would urge the driveway to be fixed."

Francis said the town has plans to repair the driveway as early as late-spring.

Other details of the lease agreement were not discussed at Monday's meeting but the document will be available soon at Durham Town Hall.