Although the exact details of the transaction have not yet been fully disclosed, announcements have been made at the Town Council and Conservation Commission meetings that Mack’s Apples has been sold to a buyer from Derry.
The property has been farmed by the Mack family since 1732 and during last week’s Conservation Commission meeting, Chair, Marge Badois announced by that the committee had received a notice that Mack’s Apples was being sold.
She said that since the town holds a number of conservation easements on the property that they need to speak with the new owners at some point to see what their intentions are.
Commissioner Mike Speltz added that while they didn’t get many details, they got a notice about the sale because it is required that anytime there is a conservation easement in place, the owners are required to notify the conservation commission. “That what they are doing is complying with that requirement,” he said.
He also noted that the new owners will have to follow the same regulations as the last one when it comes to the conservation easement.
“In a way it does not change anything for us,” he said.
The commission said they expect to learn more details about the sale by the next meeting.
Following that, at the Monday night Town Council meeting, Chair, John Farrell, made the board aware of the sale at the end of the meeting.
He stated, “This past Friday, Moose Hill Orchard was sold.”
He said the town was informed that the farm has a new owner as of Friday, and that he, Councilor Jim Butler and Mike Malaguti, the Town Solicitor, met with the new owner who said that the intention was to keep all the same covenants in place that are in the Conservation Easements and the new owner will be meeting with the Conservation Commission soon to go over what will be done with the land.
He added, “They definitely still have an interest to keep farming the land that is adjacent to Town Hall that the town is buying.”
He finished by saying that the town will be seeing new things coming from Mack’s Apples, but the houses on the property will still remain in the Mack family.
“Kind of a sad and historic note,” Farrell said.
According a letter received by the town from Andy Mack’s lawyer, the property is being purchased by MHO Acquisitions, LLC. of Exeter New Hampshire and the company lists Kyle Chrestenson as Manager. An attempt to contact Andy Mack Sr. for conformation of the deal on Tuesday, May 4, was unsuccessful.