Sherwood Forest Lake District

Update:

The Sherwood Forest Lake District bill was signed by Governor Patrick on May 20, and it was effective immediately. The town now has 180 days in which to hold a meeting for a vote by ALL the property owners of Sherwood Forest on whether to create the Lake District. You will be able to vote in person or by signing a written proxy.

The establishment of the Lake District is critical to the preservation of the value of our properties in Sherwood Forest. If the Lake District is not established then there will be no money to repair the dams. The State will then need to act. There are many options and no certainty as to the route the state would take. It seems likely that if there is no one with funds to repair the dams, they would have to be breached. If that happens, even the expense of removing the dams might possibly come back to all property owners. It makes sense to be in control of our own destiny.

The annual cost per property for dam repair and maintenance should be a small fraction of the annual real estate tax and well below the annual Road District tax.

There are some land owners that may have no interest in using the lakes and for that reason an "opt out" policy has been established for non lake front property owners. If you never intend to develop your property and wish to consider the option of giving the property to a charity, there may be a solution. There is a charitable land trust that may possibly be able to receive these properties as a donation. Contact SFNA for details and your tax consultant for a formal opinion.

Keep alert for further updates, including the proxy and the actual vote date. Send in your email address to receive current bulletins.

SFNA email: sfna.info@gmail.com