By Jeremy Pittari, Item Staff Writer
The Picayune Item
PICAYUNE —
City council members may have some bids to consider on the sale of the current city hall at Tuesday’s council meeting.
However, that will depend on whether any of the negotiations pan out between now and then, City Manager Harvey Miller said.
Miller said while there have been a few interested parties looking into purchasing the current city hall, which used to be Arizona Chemicals, there have been no solid offers just yet. When asked for a comment on the offers so far Miller said he would rather not disclose that information to keep the bidding process fair, similar to the way in which the city procures a work contract.
Any business that is looking to purchase the building would need to clear the possible use of the land with the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality. Miller said the industrial nature of the site would not be suitable for a day care or nursery, but would be a good choice for a chemical or manufacturing company.
If any of the offers turn out to be worth discussing, then that offer will be presented to the council at Tuesday’s meeting for its consideration.
The city began seriously considering selling the property shortly after the new administration came into office. In previous council meetings, the council said if the building is sold there is a tentative plan of action for moving the offices currently housed there, which include, Public Works, Code Enforcement, City Manager, City Operations, City Clerk and utility bill payment. The county’s circuit court also has a satellite office at the current city hall.
If the building is sold, then some of those offices would be moved to historic city hall, while the rest would occupy privately owned rental buildings.
