Shrewsburg, MA
Revered by diner buffs for its art deco styling and steely exterior, the Edgemere Diner can be had for just a buck — though the dining car is only part of the deal.

A legal advertisement in the Telegram & Gazette last week announced that the town is accepting offers for the classic but neglected diner car that sits on Hartford Turnpike (Route 20) at the southern end of Flint Pond in the heart of the Edgemere neighborhood. The town is selling the diner, but leasing the land, which means the new tenant could choose to exit the diner business.

The Board of Selectmen voted unanimously in November to allow the town to solicit bids for the lease and sale of the town-owned diner. The board established minimum bids of $1 to purchase the diner and $2,000 a month to lease the property. The winner will get the diner and the lease. The lot is about 20,000 square feet.

Officials hope to attract someone to improve the property, and whether the diner stays is up to a future owner. More than two dozen parties have contacted the town in recent months to inquire about the diner, which has been vacant for about two years. The lease says the tenant can use the property in any legal way.

Fodero Dining Car Co., a New Jersey company, built the diner in the 1940s, which makes it one of the earliest examples of Fodero diners in the state, and it prompted the state Historical Commission to nominate it to the National Register of Historic Places. Selectmen did not support the designation, and it was not approved. The diner is listed on several Web sites that feature classic dining cars around the U.S., including dinersaur.blogspot.com and dinercity.com, among others.

The town took control of the Edgemere in 1995 after acquiring it for back taxes. It was then leased to various diner enterprises until about two years ago, when the most recent lease expired, and selectmen decided against offering another three-year lease. Instead, the board received approval from town meeting and the state Legislature to lease the site for 20 years.

The new tenant will lease the property for 20 years, though selectmen built some protection into the document to prevent someone from buying the car for a low bid, removing it and failing to honor the lease. The lease forbids the new tenant from removing the diner car from the property for six months, unless the tenant pays six months of rent up front. The lease allows a new tenant to demolish the car, however, and improve the site at any time.

The deadline for bids is 1 p.m. June 29. All bids should be submitted to the Board of Selectmen’s office at the Richard D. Carney Municipal Office Building, 100 Maple Ave. Specifications outlining the lease terms and sale conditions are available from the selectmen’s office.

Originally published online here: http://www.telegram.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070501/NEWS/705010613/1008/NEWS02