BY TIMOTHY LAROCHE
[email protected]
CLAREMONT — An auto parts and service company purchased the former Ford dealership on Washington Street at auction Tuesday for $700,000.
Less than 10 minutes after bidding opened for the former Claremont Ford Lincoln dealership and adjacent repair facility, Maine-based businessman John Quirk offerred a winning bid of $700,000.
Once all the paperwork has been signed, Quirk, the chairman and CEO of VIP Tires and Service, said he will begin work to renovate the dealership into an auto service center.
“We’re looking for more space,” Quirk said. “We’ll certainly be doing some pretty significant renovation.”
Already, Quirk’s company owns an O’Reilly Auto Parts service center on Main Street and one on Washington Street. He said the purchase would open the door for VIP to open several service bays in a high-traffic area.
In total, his company operates 56 stores across New England.
The purchase includes two properties at the far end of Washington Street, that amount to a total of 15,400 square feet of building area on 3.55 acres. The former dealership at 366 Washington St. was assessed in 2014 as being valued at $378,000, while the adjacent repair facility at 364 Washington St. was assessed that same year at $601,500. The properties have been vacant since 2015.
“The bank kindly has paid the back taxes,” auctioneer James. St. Jean said. “According to the environmental [review] … both properties are clean.”
Quirk said, however, that he expects a full renovation of the properties after he reviews how much work is needed. While graffiti covers much of the site’s street-facing windows, the interior has extensive water damage, he said.
If the sale holds until the June 17 closing deadline, it is expected to bring closure to the long saga of the former Ford dealership.
The dealership’s former owner, Adriaan Schiltkamp, had been embroiled in a legal battle with Ford Motor Credit since 2015, barring the site from sale until it could be resolved.
As early as 2009, Schiltkamp’s business drew the ire of the New Hampshire Banking Department after he failed to pay off the liens on several trade-in vehicles.
By May 2015, an inspection of his business revealed that he failed to pay liens on more than 100 vehicles, culminating in a suspension of his seller’s license and more than $565,000 in outstanding liens.
The nearly $3.2 million in inventory left in the dealership’s lot throughout the ordeal was repossessed by Ford, but Schiltkamp remained more than $280,000 in debt to the company. Legal proceedings are scheduled to resume in August as the company continues to allege that Schiltkamp sold off company property to pay off personal debts.
Follow Timothy LaRoche on Facebook at Eagle Times – Timothy LaRoche, or on Twitter at @TimothyLaRoche.
As your daily newspaper, we are committed to providing you with important local news coverage for Sullivan County and the surrounding areas.