By MARK SARDELLA
WAKEFIELD —— Confusion over the 2021 sale of a small parcel of town-owned, tax title land on Water Street to Cataldo Ambulance was explained at Monday night’s Town Council meeting, with Town Counsel Thomas Mullen accepting responsibility for errors on the initial Request for Proposals that led to the mixup.
Mullen explained that after moving into their 200 Water St. headquarters in 2021, Cataldo became interested in an adjacent 7,500 square-foot parcel owned by the town that also fronts Water Street in order to improve access to Water Street for their ambulances.
Mullen explained that the law allows the town to dispose of tax-title property with Town Council approval. Since the town had no use for the property and Cataldo wished to purchase it, the Town Council agreed to put the parcel out to bid in June of 2021. Inserted into the RFP was language explaining that while price would be considered, a primary criterion would be the extent to which the use of the property would fulfill a public purpose, such as improving access for emergency vehicles.
Mullen explained that in two places on the RFP, he erroneously listed the parcel in question, known as “Lot C,” as “Lot G.” Lot G is a nearby landlocked parcel of land, also owned by the town, that does not abut Water Street.
Mullen explained that the descriptions of the lots were correct on the RFP, but the letter designations were reversed in two places on the document.
The only bidder, Cataldo, ultimately bid $14,500 for the property, Mullen explained, and the deed was recorded.
Cataldo later noticed the error in the lot designations and asked for curative legal documents, Mullen explained. He asked the Town Council this week to approve the final confirmatory deed. He noted that Cataldo has integrated the parcel into its property and has also performed conservation measures on the lot to protect the nearby Mill River.
Meanwhile, Mullen said, there have been rumblings that Cataldo got a windfall, as the Assessor’s had assigned the parcel a value of over $100,000.
But Mullen stressed that the lot in question is undevelopable and of little use to anyone but Cataldo. A portion of the lot is environmentally sensitive and the initial RFP clearly stated that the the primary criterion of the sale was not price but the extent to which the use of the property would fulfill a public purpose, such as improving access for emergency vehicles.
But Town Councilor Douglas Butler claimed that “a lot of revisionist history” was involved in this case. He insisted that Cataldo “got a sweetheart deal.” It was, he maintained, “a gift to Cataldo, and that’s OK.”
But Councilor Jonathan Chines stressed that the sale went through a public bidding process for Cataldo to acquire the parcel.
Ultimately, the Town Council voted to approve the execution of a confirmatory deed to correct the initial errors and clear up any cloud on the title. The town will also get a release of deed from Cataldo for Lot G, confirming that the town still owns it, which is important since it includes and easement that the town needs.