Council will hear from residents July 28 on proposed $1 million bond to preserve Clark Farm.

The Windham Town Council will hold a public hearing July 28 to discuss a proposed land bond that would help preserve the historic Clark Farm property.

The meeting will be held in the Council Chambers at 7 p.m.

Though a vote has not yet been scheduled, the councilors following the hearing will either decide to adjust the proposal, which would then necessitate another public hearing, or send the proposal as written to the November ballot.

As it stands now, the $1 million bond would go toward the $2.6 million purchase price of the Clark Farm, a 550-acre tract of farmland and forest that straddles Route 202 and features beautiful vistas and popular spots for hiking, fishing and snowmobiling. The Windham Land Trust, along with the Maine Farmland Trust and The Trust for Public Lands, has raised $1.2 million toward the purchase, and an anonymous donor has pledged $200,000 if the town also makes a contribution.

Under the plan, 233 acres would remain farmland and would be sold with restrictions to one or two farmers. The Windham Land Trust would add 76 acres to its Black Brook Conservation Lands, and the remaining 242 acres, near the Swett Road, would stay open to recreation under an easement held by The Trust for Public Lands.

If the calls to councilors are any indication, the plan enjoys broad support in Windham. Councilors Donna Chapman, John MacKinnon and Blaine Davis, who has since stepped down from the council, said last week that they have heard from many residents who want the town to step in and help prevent the Clark Farm from being developed.

“It’s the most calls I’ve gotten since I’ve sat here,” said Chapman.

At the July 14 council meeting, resident Michael Shaughnessy stood to give his support for the project, saying it was a good opportunity to leverage more money and save land important to Windham’s history and rural atmosphere.

He also suggested that the council broaden the bond deal, adding around $500,000 to go to establishing and maintaining public parks and playgrounds. This action, he said, would increase the number of residents with an incentive to see the bond pass.

“It could be lost because not enough people are connected to it,” Shaughnessy said.