KENSINGTON - Kensington Mayor Gordon Coffin has taken the first step towards his promise of a greener community in 2011.
The town is in the process of purchasing two residences with the plan to tear them down and use the land as green space.
"We have purchased one property and in a week's time we will have purchased another," Coffin explained. "They are older residences in the town, bought by the town, sold by the owners, with understanding that the buildings would be torn down."
One property is located at 27 School St. next to the town's outdoor pool and the second property is a two-storey home at 12 Francis St.
The town reported a total of $64,000 was spent to purchase the two properties. The home on Francis Street was listed at $29,900.
Coffin said both properties are small in size, one being less than one tenth of an acre.
"(The properties) will be used as green space. Hopefully get some shrubs, trees, benches put in there - beautify the town," said Coffin of the town's future plans. "We have a little bit of room in the budget to actually fix them up."
He added that "if the opportunity presents itself", the town would look into purchasing more properties to turn into green space.
A town council meeting is planned for the end of the month to lay out specific plans for the properties.
The two purchases come only a few weeks after Coffin's question and answer session with the Journal Pioneer in which he stated that his plans for the future of Kensington included "more parks, recreation and green space."
anicholson@journalpioneer.com
