This is a section by section analysis of the draft legislation that the Board of Selectmen have recently been working on with the Medfield State Hospital Development Committee, to effect the transfer of lands, as part of the environmental clean up mediation settlement. The lands are (1) on which the town can construct a new water tower at the MSH, and (2) the existing MSH tubular wellfields for a back up water supply for the town. The new water tower land surrounds the existing water tower site. The wellfields are about a mile from the MSH, located across the Bay Colony Rail line and are accessed by a right of way off of Colonial Road.
DRAFT
Medfield State Hospital – Water Supply Legislation
Section by Section Summary: Transfer of property from DCAMM to Town of Medfield, specifically, the Medfield State Hospital Water Tower, Water Tower Land and Abandoned Hospital Wellfield (a/k/a Tubular Wellfield), revising Section 32 through 37, of Chapter 7C of the General Laws, chapter 180 of the Acts of 2002, and chapter 269 of the acts of 2008 relative to the redevelopment of the Medfield State Hospital. These parcels and easements were originally acquired by the Commonwealth, acting through the Department of Mental Diseases, for the purpose of providing the Medfield State Hospital with an additional supply of pure water. See Acts of 1929, chapter 163.
Purpose: The expedited transfer of water supply interests from DCAMM to the Town of Medfield. As part of a mediated settlement between Medfield and DCAMM, DCAMM supports the expedited transfer of the Water Tower and related land, easements and tubular well field to Medfield. See attached Comprehensive Executive Summary and July 11, 2013 letter from Commissioner Carole Cornelison to the Medfield Board of Selectmen.
Current Acts relative to the redevelopment of the Medfield State Hospital transfer interests in these properties to the Town after redevelopment. However, the redevelopment plan envisioned in these Acts is no longer desirable or feasible and there are discussions between Medfield and DCAMM regarding a new approach to redevelopment.
The current water tower is beyond repair and the Town of Medfield needs the water tower and related interests to be transferred now so that a new water tower can be built to maintain the public water supply. The tubular well field and related easements would be transferred for the future preservation of Medfield’s water supply.
Section 1: Primarily for the purpose of the public water supply system, transfers from DCAMM to Medfield at no or nominal cost:
The water tower and the water tower land, totaling approximately 6.4 acres (water tower parcel).
A 25 foot wide parcel for travel and utilities extending from Hospital Road to the water tower parcel, totaling approximately 1 acre. This parcel has been configured to run along the edge of the core campus parcel in order to minimize the impact on the development potential of the core campus.
Includes a standard reversion clause.
Section 2: (a) Primarily for the purpose of the maintenance and improvement of the public water supply system, transfers certain property interests from DCAMM to Medfield at no or nominal cost, as identified in clauses (b) through (d):
(b) The tubular well field property which comprises approximately 23 acres.
(c) The existing rights of way or easements for the water main extending from the tubular well field to the Medfield state hospital property line.
(d) A new easement for the existing water main, across that portion of the MSH property that is not being transferred from the Commonwealth, to the water tower parcel, 25 feet wide totaling .08 acres.
(e) Reserves an existing easement to the Commonwealth for a right of way for travel that overlaps a small portion of the property to be transferred to Medfield as part of the tubular well field. This existing easement is otherwise unrelated to the water supply and this reservation ensures that the Commonwealth can utilize the rest of the right of way for travel.
(f) Directs DMH to transfer existing water withdrawal permits or registrations to Medfield. The Town is investigating whether there is any withdrawal permit or registration in effect and if none is found this section will be deleted from the legislation.
(g) A standard reversion clause.
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