The land around Melendy Pond in Brookline continues to be a point of contention between the town and those who have homes on the pond. Courtesy image/Google Maps

BROOKLINE – Jon Eriquezzo and his family purchased their Melendy Pond home at 2 Second St. in 1975 — at the time, everything was fine.

“It was a great place to be,” he said. “The houses there were worth a lot of money.”

That changed In 1993 when the town added a $40,000 “amenity value” to each parcel to showcase the value of the waterfront properties. Eriquezzo was involved in fighting that measure and the town reduced the increase to $20,000 in 1995. However, Eriquezzo and his neighbors were not satisfied and brought the matter before the New Hampshire Supreme Court. The assessment was ultimately overruled in 1998.

In an act of vengeance, in 2002, Town Meeting voted to eliminate the renewable leases, which had been a selling point for decades. Prior to the vote, the lots were leased at a rate of $100 per year for 20 years.

Eriquezzo said the vote was avoided until the end of the meeting.

“They pushed the vote to 1 o’clock in the morning,” he said, adding that because he lived on Melendy Pond, he could not vote at Town Meeting. “I felt like an outsider.”

He also said he offered to buy the lot from the town and provided a plan to improve the property’s septic system. It was to no avail.

“They just weren’t interested,” said Eriquezzo.

The 2002 vote was reversed at Town Meeting in 2019. The vote also included all leases being permanently terminated by 2032. As a result, when Eriquezzo sold his home in 2022, he only received $25,000 when it was valued at $125,000.

“They sucked the equity right out of it,” he said of the town officials. “It was lakeside property.”

Eriquezzo also shared his opinion on the current residency dispute in which Peter Rondeau of Second Street is leading the charge for the neighborhood.

“He should be a citizen,” said Eriquezzo. “I think it’s unconscionable.”

He has been impressed by Rondeau’s determination to prevent the neighborhood from being wiped off the map.

Thus far, Rondeau’s actions have included filing a lawsuit against the town and filing a complaint with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

“Peter has a really interesting take on this,” said Eriquezzo. “I think he has the best shot that anyone has had.”