Provoust Case - Timeline

• A total of a 6-year project.
• Approximately 1500 hours by Leslie Reed-Evans and the WRLF to put together and foster this innovative land protection tool for Caretaker Farm.
• In 2003, the Williamstown Rural Lands Foundation (WRLF) helped the Smiths place an Agricultural Preservation Restriction on their 32.5 acres of farmland, requiring that the land stay actively farmed.
• In March of 2006, Equity Trust purchased it from the Smiths for $427,000 ($382,000 less than the appraised value).
• Equity Trust returned to them the deed for one of the houses along with a 99-year lease for the land underlying the house.
• Equity Trust then sold the farmhouse and other improvements to the new farmers Don and Bridget, for the improvements' appraised farm value, and gave them a 99-year lease to the land.
• Equity Trust then immediately sold the land, subject to the two ground leases, to WRLF, which now holds the responsibility of monitoring the farm lease.
• The “Campaign for Caretaker: Standing on Common Ground” fundraising effort in May raised $239,000 as the community’s share of the cost of the project.