Costantino, who has lived in Smithfield since the mid-1950s, has had a front-row seat and hasn’t liked what he’s seen from the land trust. He compiled a 118-page report for the Town Council last fall that includes plat maps, minutes, appraisals and land evaluations by trust members visiting various properties. He said two purchases in particular raised red flags.

The trust bought a "conservation easement" on 9.5 acres on Stump Pond from Town Councilwoman Maxine Cavanagh and her husband, Paul, for $390,000 in 2009 — and another easement on a 7.5-acre farm near the Glocester line for $545,000 in 2013 from Jeffrey Booker, a former 10-year member of the land trust.