Ten months after a plan for a brewery at the old Meridian police station fell through, there’s new interest in the property. 

The city council voted to sell the police station on Sixth Street in March 2018, but John Purdy, the owner of Threefoot Brewing, later decided not to pursue the $45,000 purchase of the building, citing ongoing litigation against the city. 

At a city council work session Tuesday, real estate broker Van Lewis discussed a possible use for the property. 

“I’ve got a list of ten of the top assisted living groups in the U.S. and we plan to reach out to those ten and whoever is willing to step up and go with us on a remodel for the building that’s our plan at this point,” he said.

Lewis said he was waiting on appraisals on the property to come back. 

“I approached some investors to try to come up with a plan to do something with the property and we’re just trying to get it back to being a useful part of the community,” Lewis said later. 

“I’m just happy that an investor is looking at purchasing and that it can get back on the tax rolls,” Mayor Percy Bland said following the meeting.

Other matters 

In other matters Tuesday morning, development consultant David Kelly asked the city for tax increment financing for the West End Place, an affordable housing project in Ward 4. Under that form of financing, the developer would be reimbursed for public infrastructure, Kelly said. 

City leaders talked about holding a public hearing in December on the matter, which would have to be approved by the city council.

Rae Andreacchio, the mother of a Meridian man who died in February 2014, formally requested that the city council ask the U.S. Department of Justice to come in and look at how her son’s case was handled.  

The Meridian Police Department ruled 21-year-old Christian Andreacchio’s death a suicide, but his parents do not believe he would have taken his own life.

“We have extensive reasons…to know that my son was killed and if it was any of y’all’s children that have children sitting at this table, you would be doing the same thing that I’m doing,” Rae Andreacchio told council members. 

“We all want some closure in this case, myself, the council, this community,” Bland said. “If the council does anything with a DOJ resolution, I”ll be signing it the same day. We’re not going to stand in the way of any of that.”

In 2017, a Lauderdale County grand jury declined to indict two people in connection with Christian Andreacchio’s death. 

Last month, the creators of a popular podcast about the case announced a reward of up to $100,000 for new information leading to a conviction.