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LITTLETON — After six months of meeting, researching and drafting a request for proposals, the Nagog Hill Orchard Ad Hoc Working Group may have found the next operator of the now-unoccupied orchard.
The group voted unanimously to submit an RFP summary to the Select Board Wednesday after receiving one response from a prospective tenant willing to take over the Nagog Hill Orchard. The board will then evaluate the summary and, if approved, town counsel and Town Administrator Anthony Ansaldi will then begin lease negotiations.
The 83-acre orchard has been unoccupied since the beginning of June, when Charles Auger of Nagog Fruiters left the property after about 22 years. The Select Board extended Auger’s lease yearly since 2010, but the board chose not to renew his most recent lease, citing that the orchard “fell by the wayside,” committee Chair and Select Board member Cindy Napoli said.
“We slowly began to notice that certain things weren’t being taken care of that needed to be taken care of,” Napoli said. “Now, the town has decided that we need to step in and try to mitigate some of the issues there and seek out a new lessee to help with the management of the orchard.”
Littleton voted to acquire the orchard and existing building parcels from the Morrison family in December 1999, after the death of owner John Morrison. The town entered into a 10-year lease with Auger and his company to manage the site several months later, according to a recent presentation from the working group.
Many of the land parcels appeared to have lost trees, to no longer contain trees or not be pruned, according to a field status assessment included in the aforementioned presentation.
The Select Board fielded bids for parties interested in pruning the orchard in January, and apparently the property required “heavy pruning,” Agricultural Commission Chair and group member Will Pickard said at the meeting. The apples now growing on site will be “soft,” he added, meaning that they will not yield much money.
Once providing pick-your-own fruit activities from its abundant fruit trees and selling fresh fruit, the orchard still remains a reminder of the town’s “strong history of agriculture,” Napoli said.
“We’re looking for a long-term tenant who’s going to be committed to the town of Littleton and be a good partner with us in working to help preserve the orchard,” Napoli said, “and just make sure it remains fruitful, no pun intended, for many years to come.”
Upon receiving the RFP response, working group members broke it down into positives and negatives, noting any unclear portions or questions they had. Member Jen Clancy suggested the board discuss a list of abutters.
Napoli said she hopes a variety of pick-your-own opportunities return for Littleton residents and visitors, as well as “a retail component,” in which farmers can sell their crops, and “an educational component” for children to learn about the orchard and the agriculture industry.
The new lease is asking potential tenants to commit to a minimum of 20 years, Napoli said, but the board would consider a “100-year lease” if someone is interested in committing to that.
Moving forward, working group members expressed their desire to remain active in the process of selecting the new tenant and will be present when the Select Board takes on the RFP summary at its next meeting, on Monday, July 25.
Napoli said she and the board are excited about the potential new tenant and said his proposal could make “a great addition to the Littleton community and a great benefit for everybody.”
“It’s something unique for our town, and a lot of people, a lot of residents cherish the orchard,” she said. “We really wanted to preserve it and make sure that it’s everything that it can be, that it’s very representative of our community and that it becomes a vibrant, thriving entity within our town for residents to enjoy.”