Newbury official urges Markey to suspend Pink House auction | Local News

NEWBURY – The chairwoman of the city council said Monday that she wanted to postpone the federal government’s auction of the Pink House, scheduled for 10 a.m. today.

Alicia Greco said she sent an email to U.S. Senator Edward Markey’s office on Monday, asking the Massachusetts Democrat for his help in suspending the auction.

“I hope we can postpone the auction until all other options have been exhausted,” she said.

Greco added that she believes there is an opportunity to change federal regulations to remove the requirement that the home be removed from the property in the months following the auction.

“There has to be a way,” she said.

She also said she could see no good reason why the house could not be converted back into a residence and she knew there was someone willing to buy and restore it.

“You could put a family there and collect $10,000 in taxes,” she said.

But according to Matt Hillman, the director of the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge and the person responsible for overseeing the site, any delay would be too little and too late.

“We have been trying to swap lots for many, many years. This is our last resort,” he said. “We are holding this auction as a last opportunity to save, relocate or otherwise salvage the house. I fear that if the auction is suspended, we will be in the worst case scenario and the demolition will be scheduled sooner.”

Hillman also said the federal government is required by law to maintain all properties within its national wildlife refuge, so it would be illegal to sell or donate the Pink House, he added.

“The only way to sell a property we no longer need is through a land swap,” he said.

With its striking color and unique location, the nearly 100-year-old building has become a hit in recent years for artists and photographers looking for a dramatic perspective. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service purchased the Pink House and 9.2 acres of land in 2011 for $375,000.

A local nonprofit, Support The Pink House, has been working with the federal government since 2015 to reach a possible land swap agreement — or an individual occupancy option — to save the vacant house. However, two land swap deals fell through in 2020 and 2022.

In March, Hillman announced that the deadline for a possible land swap had passed and the house would be auctioned.

He said Monday that there is now a “For Sale” sign in front of the property.

The auction will take place on a General Services Administration website, with a minimum bid of $3,000, but the winner must remove the house from its location on Plum Island Turnpike by the end of the year.

According to one estimate, moving the building to another site could cost up to $150,000.

“This is the last option,” Hillman said. “Yes, there are people with cash willing to pay for the house. But the fact is, in all this searching, we have yet to find a person, business or entity willing and able to trade their land directly for the Pink House. That’s what’s missing.”

Hillman said the auction will last between 30 and 60 days.

“I hope the auction is successful. I hope the house can be put to a new use. I hope that, in the best case, it can be relocated,” he said. “But if not, then we have already exhausted all other options that were available to us.”

However, Greco is not convinced by Hillman’s view.

“It’s a perfectly good house,” she said. “I can’t understand why they want to tear it down.”

Support the Pink House. President Rochelle Joseph said Monday that Plum Island resident Craig Pessina has announced he is willing to purchase and restore the Pink House.

“At your own expense,” said Joseph.

For about 18 years, Pessina co-owned the Thirsty Whale & Pub, a bar in downtown Newburyport currently owned by Haven Marceau and Stephanie Romano.

He was involved in the failed land swap deals of 2020 and 2022, Joseph added.

Greco said it makes little sense to take a potential home off the market given the high demand for housing in the greater Newburyport area.

“Housing stock in the town of Newbury is extremely limited and we have no industry,” she said. “So every home is important.”

Hillman said Fish and Wildlife contacted the town of Newbury about purchasing the property before the public auction, but he added there was no interest.

“That was not a viable option for them,” he said.

According to Joseph, the Pink House is subject to a preservation order that preserves the silhouette and color of the house.

If the house moves, Joseph said, the restriction does not automatically apply.

“All the work we, the preservationists and the Massachusetts Historical Commission have done would have been for nothing,” she said.

Even though the GSA is handling the auction, Fish and Wildlife could still cancel it, according to Joseph.

“You have the power to stop this,” she said.

According to Hillman, the Pink House will require a lengthy renovation and may ultimately be demolished.

“That’s a difficult question,” he said. “If we weren’t concerned about the health of the surrounding swamp and the house, we wouldn’t be having this conversation. We’re on a tight budget and have to comply with regulations like the Endangered Species Act. Preserving the Pink House, as much as we’d like to, is not consistent with those regulations. Even though I personally would like to keep it.”

Hillman added that the federal government spends about $5,000 annually on basic maintenance of the house and does not have the financial resources to take care of long-term maintenance.

“We’ve been doing this work since 2011,” he said. “Given the age of the building, we have to go in there more and more often to repair leaks in the roof and shore up windows that have been damaged by storms or vandalism. It’s becoming more and more of a nuisance as time goes on.”

Staff Writer Jim Sullivan covers Newburyport for The Daily News. Reach him by email at [email protected] or call 987-961-3145. Follow him on Twitter at @ndnsully.