Not A Simple Negotiation

To the Editor:

I wanted to respond to last week’s Bee article by John Voket about the location of the new firehouse for Newtown Hook & Ladder (NH&L). Since it frequently mentioned my name, I was and am disappointed that Mr Voket never contacted me to get my response before publishing it — or ask for my response afterward. I was aware that the meeting between NH&L and the selectman would be taking place. But that day when I spoke to Rick Camejo, he told me I didn’t need to attend. Now I wish I had. There are two sides to every story, and I would like to tell mine:

The property in question is 2.2 acres of land with frontage on South Main Street and Borough Lane, which is zoned for residential/commercial development and attached to sanitary sewers. The property was not for sale when NH&L first approached me. I had the property professionally appraised at my own expense. At the time the appraised price was not in the department’s budget, and they decided to look elsewhere.

As Will Rogers said, “Buy land. They ain’t making any more of the stuff.” After being unable to find a more suitable property, NH&L approached me again this year to see if they could purchase half of the parcel. As a lifelong resident who has sold property to the town in the past, I wanted to work with them. So I agreed to consider it, though it was not my ideal offer. The first formal proposal was in June of this year. The statement by Ms Llodra that “we thought we’d be in the second year of construction by now” probably refers to the entire process, including the Sugar Street property. But as written, it sounds as if the process has been dragged out two years because I have changed my mind so frequently. Also, each time I spoke with Rick this year (frequently, though not a weekly basis) he had to go back to NH&L to discuss the issues, which takes more time than a one-on-one negotiation.

It is not a simple negotiation though, because it requires redrawing the lots and agreeing to those plot lines. When I looked at the exact details of the $400,000 sale, I realized that because the other half of the property (which I would still own) would have two setbacks from the street (rather than one) — I would have less buildable acreage than I thought. I tried to work something out with NH&L that I felt would be fair to both of us. Most business people would recognize that I have costs associated with the initial investment of the property, plus sewer assessments and town property taxes. And I have not had a tenant in the house for several months, since I believed something would be worked out.

Though I realize NH&L has spent money on revised plot plans, I have covered all the costs of the property with no offset of rental income, plus paying legal fees. In addition, although I was fortunate enough to have the barns on the property cleaned out be the show Abandoned, at the time of the negotiations I did not know that would happen. Instead, I was expecting to pay labor for removal and storage of the barns’ contents.

I understand that NH&L has a budget, and construction expenses for a firehouse are more than $1 million. But I am not in a financial position to simply donate the land to the department, or take a loss on the property. I have been willing to try different solutions that both parties will find acceptable, but it seems this willingness is leading to frustration. (Not to mention unflattering articles in the Bee.)

That said, the door is open, and as always, I will try to find a solution that works for everyone.

Daniel Amaral

41 Elm Drive, Newtown                                        September 11, 2012