ROSEBORO — At the Tuesday Sept. 8 meeting of the Roseboro Board of Commissioners, members voted unanimously in favor of listing the old fire station property as surplus, what town attorney Sandy Sanderson informed the board was the first step in being able to sell the property.
The old fire station, located at 301 East Pleasant St., was built in 1926, and Roseboro’s firefighters operated out of it for nearly 90 years, until the new fire station was completed last year.
While the old building had far outlived its capacity, and the new facility was a much needed step for Roseboro, according to Mayor Alice Butler, discussions about what to do with the old property have been the topic of many Roseboro town meetings.
Last month, at the August meeting, Butler presented the board with assessments of what to sell the property for, with Commissioner Ray Clark Fisher expressing concern, that the prices presented “weren’t enough.”
The mayor was given an assessment of the land, not including the two buildings, estimated at $3,788, and told that listing the property would be the town’s “best bet.”
Fisher said he thought the minimum should be $30,000, while Commissioner Brigette Henry asked if the assessment of $3,788 was “considered a discount?”
The board discussed taxes on the property, with Butler emphasizing that “we’ve never paid taxes on it because we’re a town,” and therefore she did not have any records of what taxes would have been had the Town of Roseboro not owned the property.
Sanderson assured the town board that he would check into the details and present the members with options at the next meeting.
Fisher stressed that in his mind “you couldn’t put a price on it,” and that he definitely wanted “the fairest way to get the most money out of (the property).”
Mayor Butler told the boarin August to “think about it. Ride by there, and be prepared to act on it next month.”
At the Sept. 8 meeting, Butler was not in attendance, and, instead, Mayor Pro Tem Anthony Bennett was present to facilitate the monthly meeting. When he reached the old fire station under the old business section of the agenda, Sanderson presented the options the town has for selling this property, instructing the board that “we need to declare it surplus property to start the process.
The board briefly discussed advertising costs, with Sanderson explaining that “costs can be high with multiple bids,” and specifying the importance of neither making the price too high, nor too low.
Fisher made a motion to list the property as surplus with Commissioner Sergio Olivares seconding the motion, and all commissioners voting in favor of listing the property.
Fisher emphasized that he wanted to “wait to decide exactly how to sell when the mayor returns,” which all the commissioners agreed would be best.
Next month the board will revisit the property issue. It is now listed as surplus, and board members will determine how best to sell the property in the way that will be most advantageous to the town.