MONROE, Conn. — Voters’ approval of the purchase of Benedict’s Farm, which will preserve 65 acres of open space in perpetuity, highlighted three decisions made at a Town Meeting Monday evening. Residents also voted in favor of bonding for just over $2 million worth of road construction/reconstruction and the Todd Drive culvert replacement, as well as to bond for $165,000 to fund the 2026 Fire Department Improvements and Vehicle Purchase Project.
During a public comments session before the open space vote, Adam Goodman, land protection director for the Aspetuck Land Trust, expressed his strong support for the joint purchase by the land trust and the town of Monroe.
“We’re going to talk about why this is important to you, your family, your grandchildren, their grandchildren, and their grandchildren,” Goodman said. “Why is this important? Why do we want to save the land? You guys know, you drive around town, you can see all the farmland that has been split up and developed. Land is not a renewable resource. Once it’s developed, it’s gone forever.”
The intention is to use the land, which includes portions of 30 Old Newtown and 460 Purdy Hill roads, for open space preservation, conservation and passive recreation.
Town officials and Aspetuck Land Trust Inc. negotiated with the Benedict family for the $2.74 million purchase of the farmland, which is aided by a $1.8 million Open Space Watershed Land Acquisition (OSWA) grant from the state of Connecticut.
On Monday, townspeople approved a resolution to bond for an amount not to exceed $850,000 by a vote of 69 to 1.
Goodman said the town would be contributing $736,250 with the Aspetuck Land Trust contributing $200,000. The nonprofit is hoping to obtain a second grant, which would further reduce the town’s contribution, according to Goodman.
The Aspetuck Land Trust is a nonprofit organization whose primary mission is to protect land forever, while connecting people to the natural world. Since 1966, it has preserved and maintained over 2,200 acres of land throughout Fairfield County in its natural state in perpetuity, including 45 nature preserves, which are open to the public.
First Selectman Terry Rooney said it was a pleasure working with representatives of the land trust, as well as the Benedict family, on this purchase.
“This is fantastic for the town,” Rooney said. “Obviously, Monroe being a rural town, we’ve always really revered our open space — our natural environment. Growing up here, nature was a huge part of my life, and probably many of you that have been here for years. This is a pristine piece of property and I am so thankful that the Benedicts even considered doing this. There is an ability to develop this and make a lot of money. But they decided to do the right thing for the town, so I’m very proud to be part of this project, very proud to see it go through.”
Bruce Benedict and his sister, Rebecca Benedict Bottomley, were among the family members who spoke.
“I wanted to say that we’re very proud to be part of this endeavor here,” Benedict said.
He noted how the town already owns property to the north as well as another adjacent parcel.
“It’s a really nice fit for which, in my opinion, is a real flagship recreation area at Wolf Park and Great Hollow Lake,” Benedict said of the purchase of his family’s farm. “I see people down there all the time, and it’s been very well utilized. I think it’s going to be a great asset for the town.”
“We’re thrilled to have this partnership with the town of Monroe,” Bottomley said. “We’re very grateful to the first selectman, Terry Rooney, the Town Council, and the finance board for approving this to get to this point. And I’d also like to thank the Aspetuck Land Trust, David Brant, their executive director, and Adam Goodman, who we work closely with. They’ve done a phenomenal job.”
“This is something that is a wonderful thing for the town, to preserve this land,” Bottomley added. “It was our grandfather’s land, a dairy farm over 100 years ago, and we have had the honor and the pleasure to live on this for so many years, and I just think it’s great that future generations and the residents of Monroe and the public can come and enjoy this farmland.”
Roads, a culvert, firefighting
Other bonding resolutions approved at the Town Meeting were $2,030,000 for fiscal year 2026 for road construction/reconstruction and the Todd Drive culvert replacement, and $165,000 for the replacement of a garage door at the Stevenson Volunteer Fire Department’s Station No. 2 and a vehicle replacement for the Stepney Volunteer Fire Co.
The resolution for roads and a culvert replacement was approved by a vote of 63 to 4 and the funds for firefighters passed by a vote of 68 to 3.
During the meeting, Town Councilman Jason Maur said the town needs to do more when it comes to maintaining its roads.
“We need to make this investment and others, as our road quality index is plateauing,” he said. “While we are implementing some measures to do more, we need long term plans and investment.”
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