For sale: Three South Whidbey fire stations, as is. Amenities include large garages with garage doors, concrete floors and 100- foot-tall hose towers. Not included: brass poles or living quarters.
Three fire stations on South Whidbey that have been closed or replaced with new buildings during the past two years go up for sale next week.
“For Sale” signs will soon be posted in front of the old Freeland Fire Station, on East Harbor Road across from the Freeland post office; the old Saratoga Fire Station; and the Bush Point Fire Station. All three stations have been closed and are no longer in use by Island County Fire District. 3.
The buildings are considered utility structures, like garages, and according to Island County code cannot be used as living quarters. So anyone with a plan for an entertainment room with a drive-in door is out of luck.
The district’s three commissioners — Dennis Webster, Bob Elliott and Mike Helland — and chief Don Smith established listing prices for the stations during an executive session Thursday evening. The Freeland station and two parcels of land accompanying it will be listed at $144,394; Saratoga Station $83,089 and the tiny Bush Point station, $33,794.
The old Saratoga site is composed of two parcels that have been combined into one. The first piece was acquired in 1963 for the station and the second for parking in 1967.
Real estate broker Bert Bennehoff of Buyers Data in Clinton will handle the sales for the district.
Profits from the sale will be added to revenue for the current budget year.
Paperwork with the listing broker is expected to be finalized on Monday morning. Offers on the stations may be submitted to Bennehoff.
The sale of the stations will be determined by a sealed bid process. Bids will be opened during the district’s regular meeting on May 8 at the district headquarters at the new Freeland Fire Station on Cameron Road.
In other business at this week’s meeting, commissioners approved a budget of $15,000 from the transportation replacement budget for the purchase of a used special operation vehicle.
The vehicle will be used to carry wet and dry suits used by Marine rescue unit and hazardous materials suits given to the department by the federal government following Sept. 11, 2001. The new truck will replace a white utility truck known by volunteers as the “white elephant.”
