The city is still trying to sell the old Fire Station 4 building at the corner of Airline and South McCrary roads, turning now to a real estate broker for help.
The council on Tuesday approved listing the surplus property for sale with local licensed broker Jeffrey Carter. This follows negotiations to sell it to the Crossroads Sober Living nonprofit falling apart earlier this year and a bid process that drew a solitary offer of $250 that the council rejected in June.
Carter may have his work cut out for him, though.
Built in 1959, the 2,862 square-foot building, which sits on a nearly 13,000 square-foot lot, has been vacant since Columbus Fire and Rescue opened a new Station 4 in 2021. Chief Duane Hughes said mold, as well as issues with the roof HVAC and structural integrity, plagued the building throughout its last 20 years as a fire station. And as fire trucks got bigger, he said, they got harder to fit in the old station’s single bay.
“There’s a reason we moved out of that building,” he said. “It wasn’t viable when we occupied it.”
That was before a March storm peeled away the rubber roofing from the section over the old engine bay, Hughes said.
At the city’s request, Lowndes County Tax Assessor Greg Andrews said he appraised the building in 2022 at $59,050 and the lot at $12,240.
Mayor Keith Gaskin told The Dispatch on Wednesday roof repairs alone would cost $25,000, according to the most recent quote the city received.
“I think we can sell it,” Gaskin said. “I still think the building has some viability. Obviously the land does.”
Hughes said with some repairs, particularly the roof, the building could adequately serve as a storage facility. Without more extensive repairs, he does not believe it could handle full-time occupancy.
“I’d like to see someone get use out of that building,” he said.
When reached Wednesday, Carter declined to comment.
Zack Plair is the managing editor for The Dispatch.
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