Trending
Fredonia has hired a real estate firm to appraise the value of three unused parcels in the town of Pomfret.
During the recent Village Board meeting, trustees approved a resolution to authorize Amy Holt of Holt Appraisals to perform the appraisal on the Glasgow Road properties for $1,000.
Earlier this year, village officials had discussed selling the land to help "ease the financial burden" of the village.
"I do want to remind the board that we have a verbal commitment to a real estate company, once those appraisals come through," Fredonia Mayor Michael Ferguson said following the resolution's approval.
County map records show the village presently owns approximately 43 acres of land on Upper Cassadaga Lake which was called Glasgow Park. Even though it has "park" in the name, it is not a formal park, with signage, posted hours or designated trails.
Last fall, the village board rejected a resolution to sell the property, requesting more time to investigate the proposal. Among those who voted no were Trustees Ben Brauchler and Paul Wandel, both who supported Monday's resolution.
At the beginning of the year, when two new trustees were seated, the proposal was reexamined by Trustee LeeAnn Lazarony.
After she brought it up in February, a number of residents protested the sale of the property, saying they didn't want to see it be sold for commercial development.
Lazarony said she understood the concerns raised. "I would like to see it stay pristine, conserved land. I just don’t know that the village has to own it for it to stay that way. If the state wanted to buy it and make it a park, that would be great," she said in February.
At Tuesday's meeting, Lazarony was not in attendance, but the other four trustees voted in favor.
At a previous meeting, Brauchler said he "got in touch with the person that (former Trustee Jon Espersen) had been talking to as far as appraisals. They've given us a quote for two levels of appraisal. One, he had mentioned there was the possibility of (Department of Environmental Conservation) funding to pay for the appraisal. And they offer a DEC-approved appraisal for $3,400 that would cover all three properties that we were looking at."
The Glasgow Park supporters made their displeasure loudly known at board meetings, through the OBSERVER, and on social media.