Harwich committee prioritizes deed research, owners‑unknown parcels and state grant work

Members of the Harwich Real Estate & Open Space Committee on June 26 pressed to accelerate deed research on long‑standing owners‑unknown parcels and to use state grant programs to preserve key open‑space and watershed properties.

Town Administrator Jay (first identified at the meeting) said the town should act now to preserve parcels, arguing that “if we don't preserve as much land as possible, it's not going to be the same in 2050.” He offered staff support and said the committee should work with the town’s newly hired grant writer to prepare applications.

Michael Lockach, executive director of the Harwich Conservation Trust, briefed the committee on a land‑transfer custody initiative and on state land‑grant eligibility. Lockach said completing the town’s Open Space & Recreation Plan allows the town to apply for state grants that reimburse municipalities for up to 50% of an acquisition’s appraised value or purchase price, whichever is less. “There’s a lot of opportunity out there,” Lockach said, adding that the trust and the town plan to partner on grant applications.

Committee members described ongoing GIS and deed work to clean up records for parcels that have been off the tax rolls or labeled “owners‑unknown.” The committee noted common problems: “pocket deeds” that surfaced after decades off the rolls, multilot billing errors that hid true parcel boundaries, and scattered parcels near Cornelius Pond and other ponds where ownership and back taxes are complex. One member observed that some parcels had been sold for substantial sums while having no record of paid taxes.

Members requested several specific follow‑ups: invite Crystal Legendre, tax collector, to the next meeting to answer process questions about how newly identified heirs are assessed and how tax liens or takings are pursued; ask staff to confirm the acreage and current tax status of Little Shaver; and have Jay and staff report on the status and remaining balance of a $500,000 fund previously discussed by the committee. The group tentatively set July 17 for a follow‑up meeting to reprioritize parcels and align with grant‑writer availability.

The committee emphasized the work will require legal review and careful mapping. Staff described the typical steps for placing owners‑unknown parcels on the tax rolls, the limits of retroactive tax collection, escrow requirements for tax taking, and the potential need for Land Court in contested cases. Members said cleaning up assessor database artifacts—some 600 multilot cases—will be a multi‑year effort.

Next steps noted in the meeting: assemble a short priority list of parcels for the grant writer, invite the tax collector for a focused Q&A, and arrange a smaller working group to start more detailed parcel research before the full committee reconvenes.