Hi Guys,
It looks like it's time for another flood of letters to the editor. The web address for the Waterbury Connecticut Republican-American Newspaper is www.rep-am.com. Click on "Editorials" then "Submit & Reply" I am unable to locate a snail mail address.
Mark Sutcliffe
Yankee Territory CoinshootersHeadlines Thursday, March 15, 2001
Treasure-hunting Restrictions Going to Sharon Town Meeting
By David Parker © 2001 Republican-American Bobby Sanchez / Republican-AmericanSHARON - When the snow melts, those who scour the ground for treasure with metal detectors may find themselves not welcome in Sharon. Selectmen decided Tuesday to put the issue of restrictions on the use of metal detectors on the Sharon Green to a town meeting.
A proposed ordinance, sought by the Sharon Historical Society, has drawn some support but has also come under fire, both locally and from metal detector hobbyists statewide and farther afield. At Tuesday night's Board of Selectmen's meeting, two members of the New Haven-area Nutmeg Treasure Hunters club said the ordinance goes too far. Jerry Burr of Oxford said Sharon should avoid "denying public land to public use" by imposing a proposed system of tightly controlled permits for metal detecting or digging on all town land, including the 260-year-old Green. Tony Griego of Hamden said responsible hobbyists dig small, shallow holes and replace soil carefully after their prospecting, posing no threat to the landscape.
Such an ordinance would be unenforceable, said Griego, a retired New Haven policeman. For anyone who really disturbs the Green by careless digging, he added, the town could always use existing law and charge the perpetrator with criminal mischief. Historical Society board members and archeologist William Trowbridge conceded that most hobbyists are tidy in their work. Even so, he argued, old objects taken unscientifically from historic sites like the Green, lose much of their historic value when removed. In addition, he said, their removal can impair the ability of future archeologists to understand a site.
The ordinance drafted by Town Attorney Judith Dixon says no one "shall use a metal detector and/or excavate on land owned by the Town of Sharon without a valid permit issued by the First Selectman. Any artifacts found in the course of any excavation shall be and remain the property of the Town of Sharon." The ordinance would give the first selectman authority to grant or deny permits. Permission would go only to "an individual or group for bona fide historical or archeological purposes, or for reasons of health and safety."
To get a permit, an applicant would have to supply personal background information and a statement of purpose, as well as post a bond to cover costs of possible site restoration. There would be a penalty of $100 per day for those who violate the ordinance.
The board's decision was unanimous, with First Selectman Robert Moeller and Selectmen Tom Bartram and John Mathews all voting yes. But Bartram said he would vote against the proposal when it goes before the public. "I think a town meeting is the place to decide it, that's all," he said. Bartram last month called the measure unnecessary. Mathews said he wasn't sure whether he'll finally support the measure at town meeting. But he and Moeller both said the Historical Society and other proponents deserve the chance for a vote. Selectmen deferred setting a date for town meeting action, but they did agree that if a special meeting isn't called before May, the ordinance will probably be on the agenda of the annual town budget meeting May 11.