Patch of land in Fishers Landing may sell for $1

FISHERS LANDING — The town of Orleans plans to sell a patch of land on the corner of Reed Point Road and Bay Avenue for a dollar.

"It's not of any value to anybody. It's a little piece of land that's got a manhole on it. It's not something you can develop," said Town Supervisor Donna J. Chatterton.

Ms. Chatterton said the Town Council unanimously agreed at its June 11 meeting to sell the 10-foot-by-45-foot parcel to a Fishers Landing couple who owns property adjacent to the lot.

Ms. Chatterton said none of the Fishers Landing residents opposed the sale so far, adding that there is a 30-day period for a permissive referendum during which the public can petition the transfer.

"The couple living next to it has been taking care of the land and mowing it for several years," Ms. Chatterton said.

The couple — David L. Larson and Margot A. Palmer, Reed Point Road — said they cleaned up the abandoned lot and have been taking care of it since they moved to Fishers Landing seven years ago.

"We went over and asked if the town could sell us the property," Mr. Larson said.

The town has been considering selling the land to the couple for a few years, Ms. Chatterton said.

When he first purchased the neighboring land with Ms. Palmer, Mr. Larson said, the property was overgrown with bushes and there was an abandoned dump truck and pieces of a collapsed garage on the lot.

"We cleaned it all up and we've been taking care of it for years," Mr. Larson said. "We have a little garden there right now."