Clarksburg Land Auction Angers Selectwoman
 An illustration of an alumunim box culvert selected to replace the deteriorated East Road Bridge. |
Selectmen Carl McKinney, as tax title custodian, had auctioned off two lots taken for back taxes for $12,050 on Saturday morning, far less than the expected price.
While McKinney deemed the auction a success in putting the land back on the tax rolls and money in the town's cash reserves, LeFave was furious that a five-acre lot on West Road had gone for half what the new owner had been offering.
"The last I heard you said you were going to open at $25,000 and you didn't. You came in and you said give me a bid, he said 10 and you took it," she berated McKinney. "I feel that you did a disservice to the town."
McKinney said there was only one bidder and he'd asked if the price could bettered. He said he took the bid because "it was either that or not putting it back on the tax rolls."
LeFave said the man, whose name was not given, had been trying to get the town to auction the land for two years.
"He said $20,000 for two years to anyone who would listen to him," she said. "That man has chased us down for two years to buy the land. I don't know how he got it for $10,000."
Her motion to make the entire board tax title custodian was swiftly seconded by Selectwoman Lily Kuzia; McKinney said he didn't have a problem with it.
The board also voted to replace the deteriorated East Street Bridge with an aluminum box culvert.
"We hired Foresite [Land Services] to do the initial study to determine which options were the best options for replacing the East Road Bridge," said Town Administrator Michael Canales. "The next step is developing the specs so we can go out to bid in the spring."
The two options were a precast concrete culvert, with a lifespan of 75 years at a cost of $325,000 to $375,000 or an aluminum box culvert with a lifespan of 50 years at $225,000 to $275,000.
Foresight engineers evaluated repairing the current culvert but "due to the poor subsoils and apparent undermining and significant deterioration of the headwalls and wingwalls we did not pursue this further."
LeFave said it didn't make sense to spend $100,000 for an extra 25 years. I'm fine with it," she said. "Fifty years from now ... we'll probably have different regulations ... ."
"Proper construction and maintenance and everything you can probably stretch the life out more," said Canales.
He said the town has $250,000 toward the project and that some leftover funds from the removal of the Briggsville Dam could be used to clean up broken pieces in the river.
More on the options can be found here.
The board also voted to hire Adelson Moynihan Kowalczyk PC as the town auditor. The previous auditor had failed to complete the contracted work; Canales said he was reporting the auditor to the state.
