Central EMS bids on city property

Building on Crossover Road formerly housed fire marshals

FAYETTEVILLE — Central EMS a sealed bid to buy property Fayetteville owns on Crossover Road, Chief Becky Stewart said Friday.

Bidding opened Monday on property at 833 N. Crossover Road. More than 700 people were notified via email the former Fire Prevention Bureau is for sale, said Les McGaugh, city purchasing agent. Those are people who have registered with the city for notification, he said.

Ads were also published in a newspaper and on the city’s website.

The building housed fire marshals who recently moved to the airport in Fayetteville.

McGaugh wouldn’t say Friday how many people bid on the property. The bids are sealed and releasing the number of bids could influence individual bidders, he said.

Bidding closes at 2 p.m. Thursday and will become open to the public then, McGaugh said. The City Council will discuss the bids during its meeting Oct. 17, Stewart said. The property is expected to close on or after Dec. 1, according to the bid invitation online.

Central EMS officials looked at the property and bid $162,000, its appraised value, in August. At least one

other entity placed a bid, so the City Council decided to have a sealed bid process.

Central EMS, then, submitted another bid this week. Stewart wouldn’t say how much Central EMS has bid, citing the sealed process.

The move to buy the property is part of an effort to create long-term stability at the ambulance service and to have services on Central EMS property, officials said previously. The city’s 2,747-squarefoot property would become an ambulance station and replace one the ambulance service leases for $700 a month.

Besides the station on Crossover Road, the ambulance service leases two other properties — a building in Farmington for $3,250 a month to store spare ambulances and parking space near Station 1 on South School Avenue for $300 month, Stewart said.

A Central EMS subcommittee also has looked at building a headquarters that would move operations under one roof. Three architectural companies made presentations this week and a finalist will be chosen at 5 p.m. Oct. 18 at Station 1.