The vote of the Select Board to proceed with the eminent domain "taking" of Sandisfield Fire House #2 was, at the end, anticlimactic.

After months and even years of disputes between the Board and Sandisfield Fire Department, Inc., (SFDI) the final "taking" step occurred merely as Item 5 on the January 12 agenda. It took only minutes for all three Selectmen to vote "Aye," followed by brief discussion with audience members and an offer to two SFDI members in attendance. And then the Select Board moved on to Item 6 and the rest of the Town's business. However, the dispute with SFDI had not yet been resolved.

The dispute over the Sandisfield Fire Department had come to a head at a mid-November Special Town Meeting, at which residents voted overwhelmingly to pay up to $560,000 through eminent domain (pending a new property appraisal).

Many of our readers may be more than familiar with the dispute. For those who may not be, see the November 2025 Sandisfield Times. The dispute raged on through December and early January, with the Board and SFDI exchanging letters, but reaching no agreements.

Subsequently, a new appraisal downgraded the property value to $299,000, due in part to the buildings being zoned residential rather than commercial. Sandisfield has no commercial zoning, so a residential assessment was required. Factors contributing to the downgraded property value include the septic system, which failed its Title 5 inspection, with an estimated cost of $80,000; the system had been improperly installed, as well. Also, the heating system is expected to fail soon, with replacement cost of some $60,000. The inspection also cited other building code and safety violations. The earlier appraisal had not taken any of these factorss into account.

Negotiations?

In a December 15 letter, SFDI's new president, Dan Andrus, wrote that its board had voted to accept the offer at the full appraised value of $560,000, as approved at the STM. He discussed the steps to be taken and added a final sentence: "To move forward, the Sandisfield Fire Department, Inc. will require an immediate public rescission of the Letters of Disassociation that were issued by the Select Board and Town Manager of the Town of Sandisfield, Mass." (The Board had formerly disassociated the Town with the non-profit SFDI, which had been originally organized to support the Fire Department.)

The letter was delivered an hour before the December 15 Select Board meeting, allowing for no discussion before the meeting. John Field, the selectman conducting the negotiations with SFDI, read the letter aloud, adding that he didn't understand since twice SFDI's leaders had verbally told him they wanted no money.

In its reply to SFDI, the Board cited the lowered appraisal and propose that SFDI accept the $299,000 as a friendly eminent domain taking to avoid further dispute. It also asked SFDI to vow not to sue the Town for more money moving forward. The Town also declined SFDI's request to partner again, adding that the Select Board would not repeal the letter of disassociation with SFDI.

In response to that letter, SFDI hired a new attorney to lead their efforts. In his first email the new attorney wrote that his understanding was that SFDI had built the fire stations with their own volunteers at the station and had provided EMS and fire services to the town for over 50 years. Select Board Chairman Steve Seddon replied, with a lengthy response "to enlighten him to the actual events that transpired and what got us here." Ultimately, on Monday, January 12, the Select Board adopted the order of taking for the fire station in the amount of $299,000.

Next Steps in the "Taking"

The next steps will include Sandisfield's town counsel recording the taking with Berkshire County registry of deeds. Once this is done the Town will own the building, following a process of about one week. Then SFDI is presented with two documents and will need to decide which to sign. One is a friendly-taking agreement where SFDI can chose to agree with the amount offered (fair cash value) for the exchange of property with the guarantee not to sue the Town in the future for more money. The other document is termed a "pro-tonto" document, which states that SFDI will be reserving its right for the next three years to sue the Town for more money.

Once either document is signed and notarized, SFDI will be given payment from the Town Treasurer.

At the Select Board where the taking was approved, SFDI members Dan Andrus and Teagan Abear were present. The Board reminded them they have the option to do a friendly taking or gifting the building to the Fire Department. And that they are also welcome to use the proceeds as a donation to the Fire Department.

Responses

Chairman Steve Seddon said later in an email to The Times: "It would be nice if this organization did the right thing and gifted the building to the Fire Department or at a minimum accepted the friendly-taking agreement not to sue the Town for more money after the $299,000 payment is made. I think everyone can agree that if this is truly about public safety and if SFDI wants to honor its mission to fundraise and support the Sandisfield Fire Department, then it would make an honorable and symbolic choice to put this matter to bed so everyone can move on."

Reached by phone, SFDI President Andrus said, "I believe most people have been deceived about the process. For 2026, the association [SFDI] looks forward to being more positive and open about getting our message out. We asked the Select Board to rescind its disassociation letter [from SFDI] so we would be able to give the money back to the Town. Since they haven't done so, we will use the money to reformat SFDI into an organization that we hope can find ways to help the Town."

The issue is now making its way toward the Berkshire County Courthouse.