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The 193rd General Court of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts

AN ACT AUTHORIZING THE DEPARTMENT OF FISH AND GAME TO ACQUIRE LAND OF THE TOWN OF TOWNSEND.

     Whereas, The deferred operation of this act would tend to defeat its purpose, which is to authorize forthwith the department of fish and game to acquire land of the town of Townsend, therefore it is hereby declared to be an emergency law, necessary for the immediate preservation of the public convenience.

     Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same as follows:
     SECTION 1.  Notwithstanding any general or special law to the contrary, the department of fish and game may take pursuant to chapter 79 of the General Laws or otherwise acquire, and the town of Townsend may convey to the department, for the preservation and protection of wildlife habitat, passive recreation and other purposes consistent therewith, all or portions of certain parcels of land located in the town of Townsend along Haynes road.  The parcels are identified on the town of Townsend assessors’ map 44 as block 4 lots 0 and 11, described in a deed recorded with the Middlesex south district registry of deeds at book 53439, page 134 and shown as “Open Space Area ‘A’” and “Open Space Area ‘B’”, respectively, on a plan of land entitled “Locke Estates”, prepared by Ducharme & Wheeler, Inc. and recorded in the Middlesex south district registry of deeds as plan 637 of the year 2000.
     SECTION 2.  The department of fish and game shall submit an appraisal of the parcels described in section 1 and a report thereon to the inspector general for the inspector general’s review and comment. The inspector general shall prepare a report containing a review of the methodology used for the appraisal and shall file the report with the commissioner of fish and game, the house and senate committees on ways and means and the house and senate committees on bonding, capital expenditures and state assets.
     SECTION 3.  Costs and expenses associated with the transactions authorized in this act shall be apportioned as agreed to by the town of Townsend and the department of fish and game.

Approved, August 9, 2016