Representative Arthur J. O’Neill (R-69) was recognized by the Connecticut Land Conservation Council which awarded him their 2014 Special Conservation Project Award for his work on permanently preserving 825 acres of state-owned prime farmland at the Southbury Training School, ensuring its continued use as viable farmland engaged in agricultural use. The award was presented during a ceremony on Saturday, March 15th at Wesleyan University in Middletown.
“It is an honor to be recognized by the Land Conservation Council alongside several people who worked tirelessly to achieve the preservation of this parcel of land at the Southbury Training School,” said O’Neill. “This capped a long effort on my part to achieve preservation of the largest section of this farmland since I first got Governor Weicker to agree to a preservation plan in 1992. There have been many people involved in that process along the way and I thank them all.”
O’Neill was recognized alongside Tom Crider, President of the Southbury Land Trust; State Senator Rob Kane; Steven Reviczky, Commissioner of the CT Department of Agriculture; Ed Edelson, Southbury First Selectman; and Governor Dannel P. Malloy for their work on the project. During the acceptance speech, Commissioner Reviczky commended Representative O’Neill for his many years of continued efforts during the various phases of the preservation plan for this prime farmland.
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The new law preserving the Southbury Training School land, Public Act 13-90, An Act Concerning the Preservation of Farmland at the Southbury Training School, became effective upon the governor’s signature.
