LAKEVILLE — The owner of a lot containing dozens of unregistered and uninsured vehicles is facing fines of $300 per day for not having any license with the town to possess them.  

The Select Board voted to start enforcing a $300 fine per day of violation to the owner of 160 Bedford St., the property in question, at its meeting on Monday, Oct. 21.

The property issue has been referred to as one of the “most egregious” violations of the town’s unregistered vehicles bylaw, in the words of Lakeville Building Commissioner Nate Darling. 

The board ultimately agreed with Select Board Vice Chair Lia Fabian’s push to start fining JH Taylor Realty Corp, the property owner, Tuesday, Oct. 22. 

According to estimates, the property contains between 50 and 100 unregistered and uninsured vehicles out in the open. 

The town’s bylaw states that residents can have no more than one unregistered or uninsured vehicle on a piece of property unless the vehicle or vehicles are in a garage or other enclosed structure or unless permitted by the Select Board.

The board is pushing to schedule a public hearing about the issue at its meeting on Nov. 4. Once the date of the hearing is set, the property owner, abutters and members of the public are invited to attend.  

Ken Kupferberg, who owns the parcel, attended the board’s Oct. 21 meeting with his attorney. 

In August, the board sent a letter alerting Kupferberg that he had 21 days to remove the vehicles or present proof of registration, or he would be financially penalized. 

According to Kupferberg, some of the vehicles have been removed since the letter was received. Kupferberg said he was not unaware he had been violating any bylaws. 

He has since filed for a Class 3 license with the state, which allows for the purchase of used cars for the purpose of remodeling, taking apart, rebuilding, or selling their parts, his attorney John Widdison said. 

Widdison explained that his client leases the land to tenants who bring in vehicles, containers and “things of that nature” and ship them out, in some cases to locations as far as Haiti. 

Kupferberg said he leases the land through “verbal, month-to-month” agreements with his tenants. 

Select Board Chair Lorraine Carboni supported the decision to enforce the fines immediately because “the business is still operating” and “that’s a problem,” she said. 

Select Board member Brynna Donahue asked if there are “any records of who is bringing what” onto the property and where the vehicles are being shipped to. 

“I just know there are motor vehicles going in and out,”Kupferberg noted.  

“My concern is for the family next door [to the lot],” Donahue said, “because you have no control over when these people that you don’t know are going in and out.”

Two members of the Select Board are scheduled to conduct a site visit of the property the morning of Tuesday, Oct. 22. 

The fines will continue until a resolution is reached, according to members. 

Kupferberg said he didn’t think there was anything “clandestine” going on at the property but that he was willing to work with the town. “The last thing I want is to create an issue,” he noted.