Home >> Metal Detecting Research >> News Articles >> Sharon, CT Detecting Ban Official
There is disappointing news today.
The Sharon, CT ban passed May 11, 2001. Another town closed to detecting forever.
The article attached is in the Waterbury newspaper today. Thanks for everyones help. Happy Hunting, StephenSharon voters approve town budget Ordinance regulates use of metal detectors
Sunday, May 13, 2001 By David Parker © 2001 Republican-AmericanSHARON — With no discussion or dissent, 60 residents quickly adopted budgets totaling $6.65 million Friday night.And, the Board of Finance promptly set a 16.7 mill property tax rate, an increase of only 1.8 percent.Most of the 35-minute annual budget town meeting was spent debating and then approving a non-budget item: the much-discussed ordinance to curb the use of metal detectors on town land.
Voters also approved a $25,000 appropriation to help restore the Sharon Valley Lime Kiln and said yes to several fee and permit increases sought by land use boards.Speedy budget approval was no surprise; a well-attended April 27 public hearing showed no opposition to spending plans of $2,445,995 from selectmen and $4,203,179 from the Board of Education. The school budget will decline slightly if the recent Region 1 budget defeat leads to a cut in that spending plan and in Sharon's share of its cost.Board of Finance members, meeting directly after the town meeting, voiced anxiety about unknown future expenses when discussing a tax rate. The school board, it was noted, may ask for some capital project help during the coming year and Sharon still faces an undetermined liability in connection with the old Amenia, N.Y. landfill.First Selectman Robert Moeller warned that voters may be asked for additional funds for the landfill issue as early as January 2002. The town last year voted $175,000 as a first installment on its share of costs for study and possible cleanup of the hazardous waste site where Sharon and other parties dumped their trash between the 1940s and the 1970s.Finance members said the 16.7 mill tax rate should leave the town with enough in surplus funds to deal with any emergency needs in the coming year. The new rate would boost the tax on a property assessed at $120,000 by $36 to $2,004.
The metal detector ordinance, requested by the Sharon Historical Society, forbids any digging or use of the detectors on any town property without a permit. Selectmen may issue permits only for purposes of planned and scientific historical excavation by responsible parties, or for reasons of public health and safety.
Any artifacts unearthed in a permitted dig become town property. Some local residents, including Selectman Tom Bartram who moderated Friday's meeting, questioned the need or practicality of such an ordinance when it was first proposed. Hobbyists from around the state and farther afield also objected.
William Trowbridge of the historical society, a trained archaeologist, defended the proposal Friday. He said items taken from the ground by hobbyists without proper plan or documentation lose their context and their historical value.Only one person spoke directly against the ordinance, and he was not a local resident.Bob Grigo, a metal detectorist from New Haven, said hobbyists are careful not to damage areas like Sharon Green. "Look outside the window" to the Green, he urged the Town Hall audience. "Do you see damage being done there?"
While there was no outright opposition, residents did pose a number of questions.
Would digging without a permit be OK in the sand at the Town Beach?
Would a selectman or a member of the historical society have to be present when a permit holder used a detector or dug?
Would detectors be allowed in the search for personal items such as rings or keys lost on town land?
What should a citizen do if she spotted someone who might not have a permit using a detector?When the question was called, however, there were only a few "Nays" and Bartram ruled the ordinance approved.