Erie sells small town parcel, buys Lafayette site for new water storage tank; officials say move boosts capacity and fire flows

Erie Town Council on March 27 approved two linked land transactions intended to advance a mixed‑use development and to secure a critical water‑storage site for the town.

Deputy Town Manager Patrick Hammer summarized the agreements: the town will sell about a 3‑acre parcel (Prince Reservoir No. 2 / "Little Prince Lake") to Thibault/TEBO Properties for $700,000 to enable the private mixed‑use project to proceed. In a coordinated transaction, the town will purchase a triangular site from the City of Lafayette for use as a water storage tank site; the purchase price referenced in the meeting materials was $1,000,001.

Hammer said the Lafayette parcel offers constructive advantages — elevation and access — that make it suitable for future storage and that the interlocal cooperation includes utility easement coordination and arrangements to reduce project costs (including local staging or storage of excavation material). "We are proposing to sell our parcel for 700,000," Hammer told council as part of the overview of the interconnected deals.

Utilities director Todd Fessenden explained the operational significance: Erie’s Zone 3 storage currently totals about "5 and a half million gallons," and the new tank "will add another 4.3 on top of that," substantially increasing local storage capacity and improving available pump‑fed fire flows in areas that otherwise rely on the treatment plant. Fessenden described both the system and operational benefits, including faster availability of high flows for large commercial occupancies.

Council and staff stressed the negotiated benefits: shared utility easements with Lafayette reduce acquisition and construction barriers, and coordinated dirt‑storage arrangements with the private developer may save hundreds of thousands of dollars in hauling and staging costs. Staff estimated the town’s sale proceeds and the new tank together will facilitate the mixed‑use development while delivering critical water‑system improvements.

Council approved the sale to Thibault/TEBO Properties (resolution 25 1104) and the purchase from Lafayette (resolution 25 1105) by voice vote. Both motions carried.

What happens next: staff will complete routine due diligence, finalize easements and begin design of the water‑tank and associated pipeline connections. Utilities staff will return to council with construction‑phase details, estimated schedules and any additional project costs for appropriation.