STERLING INN CO-OWNER ANNOUNCES PLAN TO BUILD CONDOS ON LOT ACROSS ROUTE 12 FROM THE INN. THAT LOT IS MORE THAN 50% WETLAND AND IS WHERE THE INN’S SEPTIC SYSTEM IS LOCATED

On 28 September 2022 one Scott Aponte, brother of Fred Aponte, the Town of Sterling’s Accountant when the Sterling Inn property was auctioned in December 2021– brothers Art and Scott Aponte just happening to be the winning bidders by $25,000 (WHAT A COINCIDENCE!– https://www.sentinelandenterprise.com/2021/12/14/sterling-inn-auctioned-off-for-600000-to-local-business-partner-brothers/ ), appeared before the Sterling Select Board to announce some plans for the Sterling Inn property that has been dormant for 10 months. According to Select Board Meeting Minutes, the following are some of the plans announced by Scott Aponte—

“The initial plan was for a restaurant but there are limitations, due to the septic.  They also own about 3.5 acres across the street which will be developed into condos. The investment group will consider constructing condos which would address the need for 55 and over housing.”

SEE: https://www.sterling-ma.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif1266/f/minutes/2022_9_28_bos_minutes_1.pdf

I’m sure that the Aponte brothers could get approval to expand the Sterling Inn’s septic system, located across Worcester Road/Route 12 from the Inn at the corner of School Street, if they really wanted to restore the restaurant, but for them it would be more profitable to build condominiums there for the concocted “need for [age] 55 and over housing” instead. So yeah, let’s call BULLSHIT when we see it.

HOWEVER, if you look at the “3.5 acre[]” parcel where Scott Aponte plans to build those condominiums, and where the Sterling Inn’s current septic system sits– Sterling Assessors’ parcel 22 at that School Street corner assessed to “ROY ALBERT & CATALDA ET AL, STERLING ASSOCIATES”– you see that it is well more than 50% wetland. THAT’S THE WETLAND THAT FILTERS DOWNTOWN STERLING RUNOFF BEFORE IT FLOWS INTO THE MASSACHUSETTS DCR-PROTECTED WEST WAUSHACUM LAKE WATERSHED! Check out the Sterling GIS mapping platform and zero in on that parcel– https://www.axisgis.com/SterlingMA/   SO, when one considers those wetlands AND the septic field on that parcel serving the Sterling Inn building, THERE IS WELL LESS THAN ONE (1) ACRE UPON WHICH TO BUILD, SINCE ANY SUCH CONDOS WOULD REQUIRE AN ADDITIONAL SEPTIC SYSTEM.

IN VIEW OF THE FOREGOING, ONE MUST WONDER WHERE SCOTT APONTE’S HEAD IS LOCATED (I can venture an opinion on that).

By the way, Assessors’ parcel 47, upon which the Sterling Inn building sits, is still assessed to KAVA PROPERTIES LLC.  KAVA PROPERTIES, LLC, according to the Secretary of the Commonwealth’s corporations database, was dissolved in 2013– https://corp.sec.state.ma.us/CorpWeb/CorpSearch/CorpSummary.aspx?sysvalue=24jwzbvS75l8pCBWtAJvSU5uTXPhXX_o43IdebPWTUI-    Connected Parcels 45 and 46, however, ARE assessed to “ROY ALBERT & CATALDA ET AL, STERLING ASSOCIATES.”  CUTE!

Do you wonder if Fred Aponte is now a silent partner in “Sterling Associates” ? If the Massachusetts Ethics Commission did its job we could find out.

As it stands, Scott Aponte’s announced plans raise more questions than are answered.

UPDATE, 21 October 2022: BREAKING–IF YOU BELIEVED THAT THE MASSACHUSETTS STATE ETHICS COMMISSION IS COMPRISED OF ANY BUT USELESS PARASITES FEEDING FROM THE MASSACHUSETTS-TAXPAYER-FUNDED-PUBLIC-MAMMARY GLAND THEN READ THIS!— https://www.bostonherald.com/2022/10/21/howie-carr-its-a-robbery-of-justice/

J.G.