Bill Graham / The Meridian StarThe Meridian City Council is hoping to sell the old police station, which has been sitting empty since 2013.

After years of trying, the Meridian City Council is hoping to sell the old police station, which has been sitting empty since 2013.

In a work session last week, council members talked with two parties interested in buying the property, which is located next to city hall, and developing it into something new.

Local architect Jerry Hobgood and Edmond Watters, who owns engineering firm Strada Professionals, LLC, are both interested in the property. 

Watters, who said he’d previously had structural engineers look at the property and submitted a proposal to former Community Development Director Laura Carmichael, said he planned to renovate the building into a multi-use facility offering residential housing, commercial offices and an event space.

Hobgood’s plan involves renovating the building into a community event space and educational facility. However, he said it was still to early to definitively say how the space would be used.

“It’s a little bit too premature to get into the details,” he said.

The city has been trying to sell the building since May 2013, when the police department relocated to its current headquarters on 22nd Ave. In March 2018, the council voted to sell the building to John Purdy, owner of Threefoot Brewing Company, for $45,000. The deal later fell through, however.

In April 2020, the council approved selling the building to contractor Greg Creel for $35,000. That deal also fell through.

Last Wednesday, the council talked with the developers about expectations and what needed to be done to bring the deteriorating building back to useable condition.

Ward 1 Councilman George Thomas said his main goal is to see something done with the property.

“We want something done with the building,” he said. “We don’t want it to just sit. That’s me.”

Thomas said the building is on the historic register, which means developers would have to follow guidelines laid out by the Mississippi Department of Archives and History for any restoration plans. However, he said the council could consider having the building removed if that becomes an issue selling the property.

“If we can work out a deal in a reasonable time, we’re going to go for it,” he said.

City Attorney Will Simmons advised the council to come up with a list of expectations for the building to help interested parties know what’s required and draw up proposals.

“I think the council needs to make some decisions, and the city needs to make some decisions about exactly what you want from the building,” he said.

With multiple parties interested in the building, Simmons said the council could also decide to accept sealed bids for the property instead of considering proposals and getting two appraisals as it has done in the past.

“You could always say, ‘Here are my parameters. We’ll go with sealed bids and consider them and decide what our best options is,’” he said. “You can always do that.”

The council also discussed possibly extending the reverter clause attached to the property. In the work session, developers explained the current supply chain issues would make it difficult, if not impossible, meet a two-year deadline.