The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT)
City sells downtown property at tax auction; no bids on 2nd site
TORRINGTON — A sparse crowd attended the city’s delinquent tax auction Tuesday, where one of the two properties for sale was purchased.
The former Pancho O’Rallies LLC, at 34 E. Main St., sold for $23,661, Tax Collector Launa M. Goslee said, slightly more than the amount of back taxes that were due.
The building is assessed at just over $150,000, city records show. The twostory masonry and brickframed building was built in 1920. It’s listed as a mixed-use retail and apartment building.
Property records show the owner is Pancho O’Rallies LLC, of Waterbury, which was founded in 2004 by Marco Martel, whose last known address was in Oakville.
Martel bought the property in 2008 for $150,000 through a warranty deed.
A number of upgrades were made by Martel when he bought the building, property records show. The
construction included the renovation of a second floor office, new wiring, outlets, fixtures and bathroom improvements.
The property that was not bid on is a residence at 58 E. Parl St., owned by Maureen Fitzgerald. City records show the back taxes on the property are nearly $24,000. It is assessed at $86,670.
It was purchased in 1996 for $79,000. Fitzgerald was listed as the conservator in 2015 through a probate
court filing, city records show.
Goslee said the “city now becomes the owner,” of the residential property because no one placed a bid.
Neither owner replied to the city’s certified mail correspondence requesting the payment of back taxes, according to a legal notice.
The criteria for putting property up for public auction in Torrington are the accumulation of back taxes of $10,000 or more, according to Goslee.
Two people qualified to bid in the auction on Tuesday, but only one individual
took part, Gosslee said.
Ray Bottas, a longtime Torington resident and frequent speaker at City Council meetings, said the sale of the East Main Street building was a good thing. “It gives a chance for different things to happen” downtown, he said.
“I’m happy it will help Franklin Street and the greenway,” he said.
The Franklin Avenue upgrade project is adjacent to East Main Street. The project is part of a revitalization plan that calls for building a greenway path along the Naugatuck River and the construction of a pedestrianfriendly
public space.
The name of the winning bidder for the retail building will not be published for 60 days, Goslee said, to allow time for the transaction to be finalized.
The auction procedure follows state-required policies that allow the owners to redeem the property within six months, which for this delinquent tax sale would be mid-August.
The process requires the owner to pay all taxes due as well as other fees and interest. In addition, they must pay the successful bidder 18 percent interest on the purchase price.