In Leominster, Massachusetts, a dispute has erupted between the city and Schofield Power Equipment over a piece of land now designated for the Twin Cities Rail Trail. This land, which the company has used for parking and storage since 1981, was bought by the city from CSX, a freight railroad transportation company, in 2023.
Shawna Schofield, the current manager of Schofield Power Equipment and granddaughter of the founder, explained that they were not fully informed about the city’s plans for the land.
“We received a letter from the city on Monday (Jan. 13),” Shawna said. “The city gave us two weeks to agree to its terms to lease the property.” The company must now decide by February 1 whether to accept these terms.
Mayor Dean Mazzarella clarified that the land was never officially part of Schofield’s property.
“It was never their land,” said Mayor Dean Mazzarella in response to a query by the Telegram & Gazette. “They never got permission to use the land, they just took it over.”
The mayor expressed willingness to adjust the leasing agreement to address the company’s needs but emphasized that the area is intended to enhance community access to downtown.
“There will be benches, sitting areas along the trail, for people to tie their shoes, take a rest,” Mazzarella said.
The controversy centers on a piece of land under two-tenths of an acre that Schofield Power Equipment currently uses, in contrast to the smaller tenth of an acre that the city is offering to lease back, the Telegram & Gazette reported. If the business agrees to the city’s terms, this small section could lead to an annual expense of $7,000.
The ongoing disagreement has spurred a flurry of comments on social media, with many community members and customers expressing support for Schofield Power Equipment. The company claims that the proposed arrangement would severely limit access for their large delivery vehicles and impact their operations, especially during peak business months.
“It may not seem as if we’re losing a lot, but we’re losing accessibility to our property for contractors, landscaping trucks and trailers, for the 18-wheelers delivering equipment, for our contractors,” Shawna said. “When it’s busy in the spring and fall, the parking lot is beyond packed.”
Mayor Mazzarella has proposed that the company have its employees park in a commercial lot across the street during busy periods as a potential solution. Mazzarella said that he proposed reducing the lease price for the parking spaces across the street in the contract offered to the company, adding that the city isn’t looking to drive anyone out of business.
Mazzarella noted the company’s success, stating, “They are doing well,” and pointed out that the city has spent $137,000 on services from the business in the last two years and a total of $417,000 over the past decade. “They get more business from the city than any other small businesses in the city.”
Nonetheless, Schofield asserts that the family was warned to vacate the part of the property now owned by the city or risk having their business license revoked. Additionally, the agreement restricts the storage of hazardous materials on the city-owned land and mandates that the company obtain liability insurance.
The Schofield family is now considering their options, including potentially relocating the business, despite the high costs associated with such a move.
