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Local board confronts conflicting appraisals for firehouse building; executive session possible
Summary
Board members said they have conflicting appraisal figures for a fire department building and that the town owns the land; without the appraisal document on hand the board declined to approve a purchase and said it may call an executive session if no satisfactory response arrives from the appraiser.
A member of the local governing body said the board has received conflicting appraisals for a fire department building and has not yet received a copy of the appraisal email from the other party. The member said the board owns the land and is discussing purchase of the building only, and that an offer is not ready for approval at this meeting.
“Number one, I didn't get a copy of their appraisal in the email,” the member said, adding that John Craft had told him an appraisal existed. The member told colleagues the appraiser had reported $80,000 to him but that opposing parties had cited a figure as high as $200,000; he asked for time to locate prior minutes and paperwork to confirm what the board previously offered.
The member emphasized the distinction between land and building ownership, saying the board owns the land and therefore “we could just send them an eviction notice and tell them to get out” if negotiations fail. He framed that as a legal option the board could pursue but said he did not expect it to be necessary immediately.
The member also described disagreement over whether a commercial appraisal was required for the transaction. He said another party had told him a commercial appraisal was needed, but he argued the board was effectively acquiring only personal property (the structure) because it already owns the parcel beneath it.
Because the appraisal document had not been produced at the meeting, the board did not approve any purchase offer. The speaker said he would follow up with the appraiser and expected to have the documentation for the next regular meeting in January; he added that if no satisfactory response is received he would request an executive session to discuss potential litigation.
The meeting record included references to a prior offer of $60,000 for the building in earlier minutes, which the member said he would confirm by locating those minutes. The board did not take further formal action on the property at this meeting.
