Though the apple trees of Gould Hill Orchard are surrounded by snow, interest in purchasing 58 acres of the Contoocook property is finally heating up.

The Hopkinton Rotary Club has put together a proposal to purchase the land and will hold a public informational meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 29, at Hopkinton Town Hall to share their plan for preserving the property.

Rotarian Jim Zeppieri has been working with Howard Moffett of Concord’s Orr and Reno law firm to find a way to raise money to purchase the land, which is currently listed by LandVest for $2.2 million.

After the town couldn’t come up with a plan to purchase the land, Gould Hill Orchard owner Erick Leadbeater still hasn’t received interest from any potential buyers.

Although the Rotary Club is sponsoring the effort to purchase the farm, no direct funding from the club is being sought. The money would be raised by selling $1,000 shares to residents across the state.

Purchasing a share in the orchard would entitle the buyer to one vote in the cooperative, and shareholders would be responsible for electing a board of directors. The board of directors would hire a professional to manage the day-to-day operations.

“The orchard is one of the crown jewels of the town and we need to preserve it. It’s been a family tradition to go there and I hate to see that lost,” said Zeppieri.

“Our plan has been very well received so far, and we also have some non-Rotarians volunteering and helping with it.”

Moffett, the lawyer Zeppieri is teaming up with on the project, worked previously on a similar effort involving the Canterbury Community Market.

“I’ve never done anything exactly like this. I’ve done some big projects, but nothing this ambitious. The fact that he’s done this before means I’m getting a lot of good advice on how to proceed,” said Zeppieri. “It’s the aspect of coming together as a community to preserve something.

By being a shareholder you have a long-term stake in it. You get to give input on how it’ll be run in the future. It’s more compelling than just giving a donation.”

Zeppieri said there is a possibility the final sales price could be “substantially lower,” and that he has been consulting with Leadbeater to learn more about the orchard.

Leadbeater said he is excited to have interest in the property stirred up.

“I don’t know much about it yet. Hopefully, I can get to the meeting and talk to the framers of this. I’m encouraged that there is some interest,” he said. “I look forward to talking to folks more about it.”

Although the process will be complicated, Zeppieri is looking forward to pushing forward with the effort.

“We’re having discussions with the Leadbeater family and trying to figure out as much as we can,” he said. “If we go the cooperative route and try to purchase it, it will be a challenging fundraising effort.”