POWNAL, Vt. (AP) – The town will vote this November whether to support U.S. Forest Service plan to buy 4,000 acres of land now owned by the city of North Adams, Mass.

The select board passed a ballot item on the vote Thursday and stipulated that three public information meetings be held on the proposed deal in October. Also planned is a walk-through of the land hosted by the Forest Service and the Trust for Public Land, a group supporting the service.

Gina Owens, a representative of the Forest Service, has said that the agency would not buy the land without Pownal’s approval.

Julie Iffland, a representative of the Trust for Public Land, who has talking with North Adams representatives, told the board Thursday that another buyer has made an offer on the land. Iffland said she did not know who had made the offer but has said in the past that other buyers could include logging companies and real estate developers.

“Since (North Adams) thought it was important that I know, I thought it was important that you know,” she told the board.

“I think we have to bear in mind,” said Rep. Bill Botzow, D-Pownal/Woodford. “What would the process be with a different purchaser of the property? Would we have this input? How would that happen? There’s a contrast here and we should bear that in mind.”

If the Forest Service buys the land, it would pay Pownal a fee in lieu of taxes every year. The effect on local property taxes, under plans proposed by Iffland, would be minute, she has said.

The land itself could be open for various uses by the Forest Service. The service could classify the land for “diverse forest use,” which would allow for some logging, wildlife maintenance, hiking, campgrounds, permanent roads, digging operations and possibly a cellular tower or wind energy tower.

The other option would be to classify the land as “diverse backcountry,” allowing for temporary roads, a longer logging cycle, winter recreation and ATV use.

AP-ES-09-18-04 1239EDT