NORTHAMPTON - Despite three open houses and interest from eight parties, not a single prospective buyer made an offer to buy a home the city acquired for $545,436 near the regional landfill this year.

"I was hoping we'd see a bid, but we did not," said Ned Huntley, director of the Department of Public Works. "No one showed up."

The deadline for submitting sealed bids to purchase the city's 3,000-square-foot home at 981 Park Hill Road was Monday. The city bought the contemporary-style house and 2.4 acres in June to settle legal action over the landfill.

The property was formerly owned by Linda Hiesiger and Ellen Tobiassen, the most frequent callers to the city's landfill odor hotline and vociferous critics of the city's landfill expansion plans.

"We have a property that has become notorious because of its former owners' characterizations of it," Mayor Clare Higgins said. "Maybe things just need to calm down."

Second purchase

Last month, the city closed on a second home for $600,000 at 238 Glendale Road, which was formerly owned by Michael and Lillian Fedora, also to end litigation. The Department of Public Works has not determined what to do with this 20-acre property, which abuts the landfill.

The lack of offers for 981 Park Hill Road may have to do with the price, timing and restrictions the city placed on the property, according to Terry Culhane, chairman of the Board of Public Works.

The city had set a minimum asking price of $478,800 for the two-story house, which features four bedrooms, three bathrooms, a fireplace and cathedral ceilings. The former owners bought the home in 2006 for $486,250.

"Clearly, we're going to have to lower the minimum bid and find out where the market price is on it," Culhane said. "I just can't see a scenario for the city to own it empty, hoping (the value) will go up in a year or two years."

"It's a terrible time of year to be selling any real estate," he added.

The minimum asking price for 981 Park Hill Road is the assessed value of the property. Public works officials said they are trying to recoup as much money as they can to replenish the DPW's solid-waste enterprise fund. The City Council in May approved borrowing $1.2 million to buy the two homes near the landfill. Money to pay for the properties is being drawn from the solid-waste enterprise fund.

"The goal is to sell the property," Huntley said. "The solid-waste enterprise fund did not anticipate buying these houses. They need to sell."

Dan Crowley can be reached at dcrowley@gazettenet.com.