ROCKLAND, Maine — The city will seek bids for a commercial lot next to the fire station.
The council voted 3-1 Wednesday night to seek bids on the third-of-an-acre lot at 31 Lisle St. Interim City Manager Tom Luttrell said bids would be accepted in about a week and bidders would have about two to three weeks to file, although a deadline date has yet to be set.
The city bought the lot in 1999 for $53,500 when it had plans to expand the then public safety building, which at that time also housed the police department. The police department has since relocated to 1 Park Drive, about a half mile away. The fire department is now the sole occupant of the public safety building on Park Street.
While the city has no plans to expand the Park Street complex, officials are mulling whether to merge the police chief and fire chief position into a single public safety director. Interim City Manager Tom Luttrell said last week he expects to make a report to the city council next month on the feasibility of merging the two positions. Luttrell and Mayor Larry Pritchett said that the merger of the two positions has worked in other communities when both departments are on the same campus.
Pritchett voted against putting the property out to bid. He said Friday his concern is that there are city storm and sewer lines running under the property and there is no clear plan on how those would be moved. The city’s sale would require the new owner to pay for the relocation of the lines.