GROTON -- Selectmen were asked to endorse a decision by the Surrenden Farm Land Use Committee to reserve 14 acres of the former Surrenden Farm for eventual use as playing fields for the town but their endorsement was held off.

The town purchased the farm last year, mostly for conservation reasons, but part of the transaction set aside the 14 acres for some kind of municipal use, though not necessarily playing fields.

It was that question that Anna Eliot, the board's newest member, wanted clarified. It was her understanding that options for the land's use were to be left open.

Selectman Peter Cunningham said the town's options were indeed open, but the land had recently been considered for a possible affordable housing project. "There were a lot of drawbacks," he said, noting that the Surrenden Farm land was too remote from the town center to make a comfortable fit for affordable housing.

Still, there was a question of whether the Land Use Committee's decision to reserve the 14 acres for playing fields could be reversed, if circumstances changed. With no clear answer, selectmen decided to hold off any endorsement until the question could be answered.